Terengganu, Malaysia: Once again the endurance fraternity watched in awe as the UAE unleashed another dominating performance and this time they claimed the only medal that was missing from their list of achievements in the last decade - the team gold in a World Endurance Championship.
Brushing aside the early setbacks, a typical downpour of monsoon rain and almost 130km out of the 160-km distance of riding in the night, the UAE won the team gold in impressive fashion and topped it with a bronze medal in the individual event.
A clever move by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, who sacrificed his permanent place as a team rider after his first choice horse Jazyk was not fully fit, did help to a large extent and for the first time in six editions of the world championship, all four members of the UAE team completed the race.
Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum played a key role on the track and led Mubarak Khalifa Bin Shafya, Abdullah Thani Bin Huzaim and Mohammad Ahmad Ali Subose to win the team gold by nearly 50 minutes from Qatar, who surprised all by finished ahead of Bahrain in a Gulf countries' sweep of the team honours.
Earlier, after being in the top three for the first 86km, Shaikh Hamdan's horse Kaysand Farrazah was eliminated due to lameness which left Sultan Bin Sulayem as the lone rider in the individual medal hunt.
Shaikh Hamdan's exit in fact was turned into a positive factor as the four-time European Open team gold medalist chipped in with crewing and kept the team's medal hopes bright with constant guidance.
While Sultan Bin Sulayem, a bronze medallist at the Doha Asian Games, focused on the individual medal and finished third behind the Dubai-based Spanish rider Maria Alvarez Ponton and Argentine Vita Augustin, the UAE team were always ahead in the team event. The UAE team slowly and steadily mustered a good lead while their main opponents began to wobble as the trying conditions took its toll.
First Portugal literally lost their way as one of their team riders led two others on to the wrong route, thanks to the darkness while ride leader Maria's Spanish team also had found her teammates far behind. Strong contenders France, Belgium, Australia and Argentina all saw their hopes vanish with early exits even as the UAE had placed themselves into a strong position. After 150km and six gruelling stages, with the ride which started at 5.30pm on Friday seeing the first rays of sun yesterday morning, all that three of the closely-bunched UAE team riders had to do was complete the final 10-km stretch. Thrice in the past the UAE floundered from a similar situation but this time, their steely nerves held and victory was assured when first Shaikh Majid came in and was followed home by all three team members to give UAE it's first ever team gold in a world championship.
Results of the Deyaar-sponsored 160-km FEI World Endurance Championship:
- 1. Maria Alvarez Ponton-Spain- (Nobby) 8hrs 58mins 06 secs
- 2. Augustin Vita-Argentina-(Barakah Ibn Al Tamah) 9:07.55;
- 3. Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayem (Tazoul El Parry ) 9:19.31
- 4. Shaikh Mayed Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Spenda Crest Kamouflage) 9:24.42;
- 5. Mohammad Ahmad Ali Subose (Koum Des Jamets) 9:31.38;
- 6. Mubarak Khalifa Bin Shafya (Zakah Zahara) 9:31.39;
- 7. Abdullah Thani Bin Huzaim (Castlebar Kadeen) 9;31.40.
