By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola

Sports Capital Journalism Program

RIO DE JANEIRO – Shooter Fehaid Al-Deehani had to stop himself from crying. He was standing on top of the podium, gold medal around his neck. He should have been the happiest person Wednesday at the Olympic Shooting Center.

But he had to hold back his tears as the flags were being raised. In place of his native Kuwait flag was the Olympic flag. There would be no Kuwait national anthem, either.

“That hurts. That’s very bad,” Al-Deehani said. “Winning the gold medal, the best achievement in this Olympic Games, without raising my country flag really hurt me. I really I cannot describe this, but really sad.”

Al-Deehani, who will turn 50 in October, is competing as an Independent Olympic Athlete. He’s originally from Kuwait, is an army officer there. He’s proud of his Kuwaiti heritage.

But he couldn’t represent his home country at the Olympics. Kuwait is suspended by the IOC because of government interference in sport.

So he had to compete as an Independent Olympic Athlete, and became the first to win a medal in the 2016 Games. The proud Kuwaiti he is, he refused to carry the IOC flag at the Opening Ceremony. If he was going to carry a flag it could only be Kuwait’s.

Rio is Al-Deehani’s sixth Olympics. He finished 29th in his debut in 1992 and has been to each Olympics since then with the exception of the 2008 Games.

He has won two bronze medals. They came in men’s double trap at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and men’s trap at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Al-Deehani is the only Kuwaiti to medal in any sport at any Olympic Games.

Wednesday, he picked up the gold medal in men’s double trap in dramatic fashion. He survived a three-person shoot-off to advance from the qualifying round with the sixth and last spot.

In the semifinals, he hit 28 out of 30 targets and moved on to the gold medal match. He dropped to his knees and touched his forehead to the ground. He got back up, pumped his fist, pounded his chest and wiped his eyes while walking over to the crowd.

Making it to the gold medal match meant he was guaranteed a gold or silver medal. It would be his best finish in six Olympic Games.

He hit 26 of 30 targets in the finals to beat Italy’s Marco Innocenti, 26-24. He raised his hands, pumped his fist, raised one finger to signify the gold medal and made sure to pound his chest again.

“That was for my country, for the people that they don’t want us to participate in this Olympic,” Al-Deehani said of the chest pound. “I’m showing them that we are here and got the medal.”