Bin Sulayem keeps cool in triumph

Dubai: Amidst the joyous scenes of celebration in the UAE camp in Doha after the UAE's 'Golden Double', one man who added to the medal tally was as cool and composed as ever.

Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayem, who took to endurance on the advice of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, won the bronze medal and more than made up for an unfortunate mess-up in the World Championship in Aachen last year.

Bin Sulayem was behind a New Zealand rider and heading for a top-10 finish. The Kiwi suddenly took the wrong route and Bin Sulayem followed him, after which both their result was nullified though they finished within the top 10.

But on Thursday, Bin Sulayem once again proved why he has such a consistent record when he finished third. Picked for his consistency, Bin Sulayem had finished well in all the championship events but the Asian bronze was his best so far.

"I am very delighted. More than me, I am pleased for the way Shaikh Rashid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum rode and the UAE's triumph in the team event," said the soft-spoken Bin Sulayem.

Thursday's triumph for Shaikh Rashid was his 27th victory in an endurance ride since he first win in the Desert Giants Marathon in UAE in April, 1997.

Shaikh Rashid, who is feared by his rivals for the terrific pace he maintains on the endurance circuit, has played a major role in the team wins by UAE at the European Open Championships since 1999.

However, he had skipped most of the rides last year and was also unfortunate when he was eliminated in the final loop in Aachen.

"We had been preparing for the Asian Games for quite some time now. The horses were in Europe during the summer and then we tried them out in Jordan. We took the first four places though the field was not very strong," said Esmail Mohammad, the UAE trainer.