Ageless Al Attiyah has no plans to quit

Qatar's most decorated sportsperson Nasser Saleh Al Attiah - a world-class rally driver and an ace shooter - has no plans to quit.
The 46-year-old could be feeling tad slow these days but the two-time Dakar Rally champion and a bronze medallist at the London Olympic Games believes he has enough gas left in the tank to chase new goals.
"I have a fixed plan for the next 10 years," Al Attiyah said when asked about a possible retirement in the near future.
"It doesn't matter what your age is. What matters is how your physical condition is," Al Attiyah said. "Look at (French rally star) Stephane Peterhansel. He won the Dakar Rally this year. He is 51 years old. He won because he takes care of himself. He is very strong.
"I will also keep going," Al Attiyah said confidently.
The title favourite at this week's Qatar International Rally - the first stop on the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) - Al Attiyah said he is aiming to nail his 13th career MERC title later this season.
"My target is the break the record for most number of Middle East Rally Championships. I have won 12 titles. This is the goal for this year. I have all the support that I need to break the record," Al Attiyah said.
Al Attiyah said he expects fierce competition from home-grown talent like Rashid Al Naimi and Khalid Al Suwaidi.
"We see a lot of drivers nowadays. I think this is due to the support of QMMF. It is probably the only federation in the world that supports the drivers. This is really a big thing," Al Attiyah said.
"Our federation has a good plan and it works on it with great attention. It is the same with riders also. All the drivers and riders get a lot of support during events," the Qatari said.
"It's great to see so many Qatari drivers taking part at home and away events. These events provide a great platform for every participant to learn from. I hope this continues in the future also. I have also learned a lot," he added.
Al Attiyah hoped to see his successor coming through the ranks in the near future.
"I hope there is another Nasser Al Attiyah in the future. I am 46 years old (smiles). One day even I will retire. I will stop but we need to have another driver who could continue (to dominate). That should be our goal," he said.
"I am sure Qatari drivers are getting better with each year. They are getting the (required) experience. If you talk about experience, I learned a lot as I took part in rallies.
"I race a lot. This has helped me mentally as a rally driver. The young drivers need to push themselves. They need to work harder. They need to search for winning tactics.
"There is no secret but they (the young drivers) need to be clever. I learned from other drivers. I talked to them. I saw them drive. I competed against the best. I did all that for myself. I followed their tactics. I noted their good points and I memorized those points," Al Attiyah said.
The ace rally driver thanked QMMF for their 'wholehearted support'.
"I want to thank QMMF President and the support of their team. This is an important rally for me and my team. This year we may not have a big number but the quality is there. We will try to win this race because I want to start (2017) with a win," Al Attiyah said.
"The strategy of QMMF to bring everything at Losail Circuit is good.
"This way more fans can come and have a look at the circuit and how things are managed. This is a great opportunity to have a close look at the drivers," he added.