Saudi riders Ramzi Al-Dahami, Khaled Al-Mubti, Abdul-Rahman Al-Rajhi, and Saad Al-Ajmi confirmed that the gold medal achieved by the Saudi team in the show jumping competitions at the Asian Games in Nagoya was the result of focus, teamwork and experience, stressing that the competition was not easy in light of the great development shown by the participating teams.
The Saudi show jumping quartet succeeded in giving the Kingdom its first gold medals in the Nagoya Games, after a strong competition that was decided by the Saudi riders in their favor.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Ramzi Al-Dahami said: “Praise be to God. This is a blessing and success from God. The heroes who were with me each performed their role and more. We came here and our focus was on gold, and thank God we brought it back.”
Al-Dahami pointed out that the achievement comes in light of the great support that Saudi athletes enjoy, adding: “What we have achieved is little compared to the support provided to us. We came here with a clear goal, and thank God, the youth were champions on the field.”
Regarding the pressures facing the Saudi team’s riders as the fans become accustomed to them winning medals, Al-Dahami explained: “It is difficult, because some people believe that equestrian championships are easy and that achieving gold is guaranteed, but the competition is very strong, and everyone is developing and trying to compete with the Saudi team.”
He added: “Experience may have played a role, along with the skill of the participating riders, but no championship is ever guaranteed, and anything may happen. The focus and support we receive contributed to achieving this result.”
For his part, Khaled Al-Mubti spoke about his transformation between the two rounds of competition, after he committed two mistakes in the first round before returning with a clean round, and said: “Competition in Asian championships is always difficult and fierce. We started the first round excellently, and my teammates gave clean rounds, while I made two mistakes, so I tried to improve my performance in the second round, and thank God I was able to finish it without mistakes.”
Al-Mubti continued: “My colleagues carried the burden in the first round, and in the second we were able to share the responsibility with them and present a clean round. The result was very beautiful, especially since the competition was close, and all the teams came fully prepared, with high-level horses and riders.”
Al-Mubti expressed his happiness at achieving the gold medal, stressing that the achievement represents a small part of what Saudi athletes aspire to provide in exchange for the great support they enjoy from the leadership in the country.
As for Saad Al-Ajmi, who participated in his first participation in the Asian Games, he confirmed that he did not feel intimidated despite the amount of responsibility placed on his shoulders, and he said: “Praise be to God that I was up to the responsibility and presented good rounds. The credit, after God, goes to the team’s riders and all members of the system, whether the Olympic Committee, those responsible for the horses, or the training staff. Everyone worked hard until the gold was achieved.”
Regarding his first experience, Al-Ajmi said: “There was no fear, but the pressure was definitely there. “Whether it is your first or tenth participation, you only came here to perform at a high level.”
Veteran rider Ramzi Al-Dahami confirmed that achieving the first Saudi gold medal in the Asian Games in Nagoya was the culmination of the riders’ ambition to compete for first place. He said: “Saudi Arabia deserves this achievement, and we consider what we have achieved to be the least we can offer it.”
In turn, Abdul Rahman Al Rajhi caught the attention with his remarkable performance and celebration after winning the gold medal, after he performed a movement that simulated swimming, in reference to what happened to him at the World Championships when he fell at the water barrier.
Al-Rajhi had told Asharq Al-Awsat about his celebration: “It was a response to what happened in the World Championship when we were not successful and fell at the water barrier. I said at the time that our response would be on the field, and today, praise be to God, we gloried in gold.”
