With only five months to go for the Rio Olympics, Qatar rider Ali al-Rumaihi  is focussed and excited as he gears up for the biggest sporting spectacle in the world.
“We are very much focused for the Rio Games,” al-Rumaihi told Gulf Times yesterday, adding that the team has plans to take part in some international showjumping competitions to prep for the quadrennial event.
It’s a first for Qatar to qualify for equestrian at the Olympics. Headed by Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al-Thani and composed of al-Rumaihi, Khalid al-Emadi and Bassem Hassan Mohamed, the team had a very successful year in 2015.
“Qualifying for the Olympics was a historic moment for us. It had been a goal for our team for the last two years and we achieved it. Now, our focus is to be in the best shape for the Games,” he said.
“We are going to Europe for a long and tough tour where we will get to compete with the world’s best riders to get ready for Rio,” al-Rumaihi said.
The team won gold in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon but it was during the Furusiyya 2015 Series in Abu Dhabi where the team secured their well-deserved qualifying spot for Rio. With only one spot available for the entire region, the team had to perform at a really high level to book their tickets to Rio.
“We did the hard work last year. It was a good year during which we secured the Olympic berth and won the Challenge Cup in Barcelona in September,” he said.
Global Champions Tour (GCT) will start the European season, but before that al-Rumaihi will also take part in some events in the Gulf region.
He will represent the Qatar team in HH The Emir’s Sword International Showjumping Championship and CHI Al Shaqab 2016 in couple of weeks’ time before going to Al Ain for Nations Cup.
“Usually I don’t take part in all the events, but my coach insisted me to participate in as many events as possible to get some crucial practice before the Rio Games,” he said.
Al-Rumaihi praised coach Jan Tops for the progress Qatar’s showjumping team has been making.
“He (Tops) is the best and helped us to grow as a team. We have really worked hard together. He did a good job with our team,” he said.
Al-Rumaihi began competing internationally in 2006 when in his first major championship he won an individual gold medal at the Asian Games. He has since competed in two Pan Arab Games, and the 2010 Asian Games and World Championships. In 2011, he won the individual gold and the team bronze medal at the Pan Arab Games in Doha.
Al-Rumaihi is a pillar in the squad as he is a rider with plenty of mileage and ring craft.
He has shown his skill with several horses and inherited the love for horses from his father.
“I started when I was very young… around six years of age. I got my passion for riding horses from my father who was into horse breeding. He put us into showjumping,” the 34-year-old rider said.
Talking about his horses, he said: “Every rider wants to win but it all depends how your horse feels on the day. I have one horse in good condition right now, but another has some injury issues.”
He said that luck also plays a very important role in equestrian.
“You have to keep a balance. Injuries can happen any time. Sometimes you are doing fine and suddenly something stupid happens.”
Al-Rumaihi is also familiar with Brazilian conditions. “I have been to Brazil twice… for a GCT event and once for Army World Equestrian Games in 2011 and 2009,” the horsemen said.
The world’s best horses and riders will compete for medals in the Olympic disciplines of eventing, dressage and showjumping over 12 days of intense competition at Deodoro near Rio.