Qatari riders set to make history at Rio Olympics

Doha: Qatar’s showjumping team will make history this summer as the national riders will make their maiden appearance in Olympic Games in Rio in August.

With a little over two months to the start of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al Thani, Bassem Hassan Mohammed, Ali Al Rumaihi, Khalid Al Emadi, Faleh Al Ajmi and Hamad Al Attiyah are working hard to be in top form for the biggest competition of their lives.

Coached by former Olympic showjumping gold medallist Jan Tops, who won gold in the team jumping event in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, the Qatari equestrian team has already made history by qualifying for Rio during the Furusiyya 2015 FEI Nations Cup Jumping series in Abu Dhabi. Facing experienced teams from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Qatar’s equestrians stunned the crowds by grabbing the sole qualifying spot for the Rio 2016 Games.

“Qualifying for Rio was an indescribable feeling,” Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al Thani said, adding, “We worked hard to qualify and we succeeded. It was never easy because our group was very challenging and there was only one qualifying spot.”

Sheikh Ali, who is currently ranked 6th worldwide in the Longines Global Champions Tour, credits his early exposure to nature on his uncle’s farm as his reason for taking up equestrianism.

“My uncles had a few race horses as well as everyday horses and that’s how I began riding. I started horse riding when I was 7 or 8 as a hobby on their farms,” he said.

The team’s well-earned victory in the 2015 FEI Nations Cup was built on their gold medal win in the 2014 Asian Games and led to another victory in the Barcelona 2015 Longines Global Champions Tour. Yet despite their successes, they also face unique challenges that most athletes do not.

“There are always difficulties in any sport, and for this sport the horse becomes the challenge,” said Bassem, adding: “Equestrians interact with living things and our success depends on them and there is always something new with the horse, either it is injured or not feeling well psychologically.”

Mohammed, 29, took up horse riding at the incredibly young age of 5, eventually training professionally with the Qatari Equestrian Federation and securing a litany of achievements including placing 1st in the Doha leg of the 2014 Longines Global Champions Tour.

By spending so much of their day together, Qatar’s equestrians and their horses share a special, strong bond:

“During our training camp in Holland, we usually stay in the stables from around 8am up to 5pm,” said Al Ajmi, adding: “So we basically spend most our times with the horses and have a very strong connection to them.”

The team, which recently competed in the Madrid leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour from May 19 to 22, keeps a stringent training and competition schedule throughout the year to maintain their world-class level.

“We usually begin training in the summer, and from April to September we head to training camps in Europe, particularly in Holland,” said Al Emadi, 22, adding: “We train six times a week for three hours daily.”

The demanding schedule must be carefully thought out by coach Tops and his administrative team, striking a delicate balance between a well-trained and exercised horse, and an exhausted one.

“A horse’s condition fluctuates from day to day and if there are any problems the rider has to find out by himself,” said Al Rumaihi, 35, adding: “You develop a better sense of the horse the more time you spend riding it.”

Like the rest of his team-mates, Al Rumaihi started horse riding at a very young age thanks to his family’s support and his early exposure to horses.

He went from riding his father’s pure-bred Arabian horses on his farm to winning gold in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar – which he hopes to emulate in Rio 2016.

“The most important thing is to represent Qatar in the best way possible, and hopefully win an Olympic medal,” Al Rumaihi said.

Long considered part of Qatar’s tradition and heritage, Arabian horses were thought to be used by Qatar’s founding fathers during their fight for independence from the Ottoman Empire, ingraining them as part of Qatar itself.

While Qatar’s Equestrian Team has already made history, the athletes hope to also make the podium in Rio.

“The Olympics is every equestrian’s ambition,” said Al Attiyah.

“It is my life’s dream and I will give it everything that I have,” he added.

At only 20 years old, Al Attiyah is the youngest member of the Equestrian team, yet has already set on the path to a successful career after becoming the youngest rider in history to ever qualify for a World Cup final at 18 years old.

The tight-knit team spends their days and nights together training – creating a special comradery that bolsters their performance in the arena and lifts their spirit as a team.

“Winning as a team is something special for me,” said Sheikh Ali, adding: “I have spent years with my team-mates – we are like brothers. Our strong relationship makes for a strong, competitive team.”

Aside from the Olympic podium and the glory that comes with it, the team also hope their participation in the Olympics inspires the next generation of riders, or athletes of any other sport.

“Qatar has never had an equestrian team compete in the Olympics. This will push young athletes and fans to take up equestrianism,” Al Rumaihi.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Ali said: “I suggest anyone who has an interest in any sport to pursue it and represent your country because our country is a great supporter of sport.”

The Peninsula