Team interests come first, says junior world champion

"We will be concentrating more on the team event than the individual medals," said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, reigning world junior champion and the UAE's only rider to finish in the top 10 in the last two world championships.

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Sheikh Hamdan sounded cautious despite going in as one of the favourites in today's world endurance championship.

Referring to the most important guiding principle of the sport that says: "To finish first one must first finish the ride," Sheikh Hamdan said that all riders in today's event "are here to win and not to just finish."

Sheikh Hamdan finished fourth in the 1998 World championship, and 10th in the 2000 World championship in France.

Boasting a brilliant international record, the young Sheikh Hamdan won the world junior championship in Spain last September and followed it up with a second-place win in the European Open championship helping the UAE to win the team gold.

Earlier in March this year, Sheikh Hamdan again topped a world-class field to win the FEI-UAE World Cup apart from quite a few victories in the tough UAE domestic season.

"Every one has come well-prepared for this event. Apart from one's best efforts the ground conditions and luck also play a part. I can say this from experience, but we have also come well-prepared," Sheikh Hamdan said.

The UAE missed the team gold medal in the last world championship and General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Minister of Defence, was not a part of that team.

Sheikh Hamdan said this time the team will benefit from Sheikh Mohammed's presence as a rider.

"We have won two European Open championships and on both occasions he guided us from close range," Sheikh Hamdan said.

"Our main motive will be to gather points. We have to see where we are placed in the team event and then decide to go for any individual medals. Team interests come first," said Sheikh Hamdan, who along with elder brother and European Open champion Sheikh Rashid, is feared by the rest of the world riders.