Guangzhou: Shaikha Latifa Al Maktoum has endorsed her second silver medal at the 16th Asian Games as a tribute to UAE women who have dedicated themselves to sports in the country.
"We have had women in sports in the past, but this medal will take us to the next level in competing against men in a sport of this stature," Shaikha Latifa told Gulf News following her incredible silver in the equestrian individual jumping at the Guangzhou Equestrian Centre here on Wednesday.
Pitted against two former Olympians from Saudi Arabia — Olympic bronze medalist Prince Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz Al Eid and Ramzi Hamad Al Duhaimi — Shaikha Latifa jumped a flawless final round to eventually fall short of a historic gold by a mere 0.15 seconds.
"For me to compete against such top athletes was an honour. And to win ahead of at least one of them is a proud moment," Shaikha Latifa said.
Shaikha Latifa had a time of 48.83 secs around the ten hurdles with her 12-year-old stallion Kalaska De Semily after a marginally better 48.52secs recorded against Al Duhaimi's name for the gold medal. She admitted that she was under no pressure when pitted against such high-quality riders.
On Monday, Shaikha Latifa had also been waylaid by the more experienced team from Saudi Arabia for the team silver alongside younger brother Shaikh Rashid Al Maktoum, Shaikh Majid Bin Abdullah Al Qasimi and Ahmad Al Junaibi.
Shaikha Latifa was affluent in her praise for her 12-year-old stallion Kalaska De Semile. "None of this would have been possible without him. He is the real hero and I think both of us need a break," she said.
"He has matured in the past four years. He can only get better as we progress," Shaikha Latifa hoped. But her immediate attention was towards her wonderful stallion. "He needs rest and I need a break too. I have still not decided where I will go for a holiday, but it has been a tough time and we need to unwind," she said. Shaikha Latifa was scheduled to depart for Dubai later last night.
