Dubai: UAE’s Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzouqi completed his round in the finals of the individual showjumping event in the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old, riding Enjoy De La Mure, finished with eight faults and a time of 83.38 and took the 19th spot among 30 riders.
Al Marzouqi had secured the 21st ranking with a single fault and a time of 79.56 seconds in the first round that had a total of 75 riders.
The UAE’s national team three riders, Abdullah Al Marri, Salem Al Suwaidi, and Omar Al Marzouqi, participated in the individual showjumping event. Rider Salem Al Suwaidi started our participation in the qualifying round with 16 faults and a time of 76.42 seconds, while rider Abdullah Al Marri withdrew to preserve his horse.
Christian Kukuk clinched the individual gold, marking a clean sweep for Germany in all individual equestrian and the team dressage events.
Three riders had clear rounds and Kukuk won the title in a jump-off, while Swiss Olympic gold medallist Steve Guerdat winning the silver while Maiken van der Vleuten of the Netherlands taking home the bronze.
World champion and world No 1 Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden left the ring following a shock fall after his horse, King Edward, spooked before a fence.
Extending his impressive run
However, the Asian Games individual silver medallist continued to carry the UAE flag when he extended his impressive run in recent time to enter the finals.
“Everyone wishes for a medal in the Olympics, and I wish to get a medal too. But I’m going to work hard to represent the UAE in the best way, and if I could get a medal then I’m happy. At this young age, the experience I will gain from the Paris Games will put me in a better position for the next Olympics. This is my first Olympics, so I have plenty of time to achieve my goals,” Al Marzooqi had told Gulf News from Europe, where underwent extensive preparations for the Games.
During the preparations, Al Marzooqi clinched the CSI four-star 1.55-metre Grand Prix title at the Montfalco Championship in Italy in May. Al Marzooqi, riding 10-year-old stallion Enjoy de la Mure, outwitted 46 riders to clinch the coveted title, a big boost to his individual and UAE’s pursuit of a medal ahead of the Olympics.
So far, Al Marzooqi, who also won the silver medal in the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina, has made 906 starts and scored 60 wins to be ranked 192 in the FEI rankings.
