In an interview with CNN, UAE Olympic showjumper Abdullah Al Marri speaks about his journey to the Paris 2024 games.
Equestrian sports debuted at the Olympics in Paris in 1900. Over a century later, the Olympics are in Paris again and for the first time an equestrian team from the UAE will compete. Al Marri talks about this opportunity, "When it comes to showjumping, for us, the Olympics is the pinnacle. It’s the most important event and difficult to dare to dream to be in the games, and we saw that the dream is actually possible."
For years, showjumping has been dominated by the German, American, and British teams. Al Marri says he anticipates the tough competition the team will face, "The second you qualify you realise that your work starts now. And you know that you’re going to be against multiple medallists, especially from Europe and the US. We know how good they are."
For Al Marri, the competition comes as an exciting challenge with his horse BBS McGregor by his side, "In Formula 1, without the car, as good as the driver is, there’s no chance of winning a championship. And it’s the same with horses. You need these horses that are at the highest level for you to achieve these dreams."
With more than 44 international victories under his belt, Al Marri says it has been a fulfilling journey so far and that he is confident about the team taking home a winning title, "It’s one thing to dream of the games, and another to dream of winning a medal. And I think we all have a chance, and we’ll give it the best shot possible. These chances don’t come that often, and hopefully on the day it’s all going to be ok, and we achieve the impossible dream."
