Qatar’s showjumping team of Hamad Nasser al-Qadi, Sheikh Ali al-Thani, Rashid Towaim Ali al-Marri, Bassem Mohamed has qualified for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo next year. This will be the second successive time that a Qatari team will be going to the Summer Games, after they had done so in Rio 2016.
Yesterday, Qatar finished second in Morocco Royal Tour Nations Cup in Tabat, which was a Tokyo Olympics qualifying event. Sheikh Ali and Bassem, who were part of the Rio Olympic squad, played a key role again in ensuring Qatar qualified for the Games again.
Qatar finished the event runner-up with a cumulative time of 239.40 and 238.45secs, with the best three scores of the riders making up the tally. Sheikh Ali, astride his gelding Sitocco, was the fastest rider among his teammates, finishing his round in 77.43 seconds.
Hamad Nasser al-Qadi (SIEC Lonnie), Rashid Towaim Ali al-Marri (Armstrong van de Kapel) and Bassem (Gunder) also put up a strong show. After their magnificent feat, the Qatar team was congratulated by HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in a tweet which read “And we are through! Congrats to all our riders for their @tokyo2020 qualifications!” 
HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, President Qatar Olympic Committee also extended his good wishes to the Qatar equestrian team on their qualification.
The ‘Road to Tokyo Ranking’ event of CSIO4* showjumping event which had six teams in the final was won by Egypt, with hosts Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE missing out on Olympics berth.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Sheikh Ali had missed a medal by a whisker after he finished sixth in the individual event. The Qatari rider is has set his sights Tokyo Olympics and is confident of fulfilling his dream of winning a medal.
“I felt proud carrying the flag for my country at the Rio Olympics. That great feeling also pushed me to excel as a competitor. I also came very close to winning a medal in Rio. So for me the work starts from today till the next Olympics (Tokyo 2020) and I know that I can get a medal. I shall win it one day Inshaallah,” Sheikh Ali had said earlier this year.
Related Story