The UAE equestrian team concluded their participation in the show jumping competition at the Paris Olympics in 18th place, as announced by the UAE National Olympic Committee on X. The team comprised Abdullah Al Marri, Omar Al Marzouqi, Ali Al Karbi, and Salem Al Suwaidi. Only the top 10 teams advanced to the final scheduled for Friday. Omar Al Marzouqi initiated the qualifying round with 12 faults in 76.52 seconds, followed by Ali Hamad Al Karbi with 44 faults in 94.34 seconds, and Abdullah Al Marri with 16 faults in 78.61 seconds. The UAE team accumulated a total of 72 faults in 249.47 seconds. Despite their 18th-place finish, Al Suwaidi highlighted the valuable learning experience for the team, confident in their future international performances. Meanwhile, UAE judoka Zafar Aram was defeated in the under 100 kg category by Dutch player Michael Koril in the round of 16, after previously defeating Brazilian opponent Jonca Alves Levi in the round of 32 in golden time following a draw in regular match time. On Friday, UAE judoka Omar Marouf will face Algerian champion Mohamed Mehdi Lili. The UAE contingent for the Paris Games consists of 14 athletes. Equestrian Omar Al Marzouqi and cyclist Safiya Al Sayegh carried the UAE's flag during the opening ceremony. Al Sayegh, the first Emirati female cyclist to qualify for the Olympics, will compete in the road race on August 4. UAE judoka Aram Grigorian nearly secured a bronze-medal playoff spot before being edged out by Tsilidis Theodoros of Greece. In swimming, Yousef Al Matrooshi and Maha Al Shehhi set personal bests in the men's 100-metre freestyle and women's 200m freestyle, respectively.
Text: Lara Palmer
01.08.2024
Despite 18th Place, UAE Show Jumpers See Growth; Other UAE Athletes Also Compete in Paris