MUSCAT: Popular Omani showjumper Sultan al Tooqi has finished third, only seconds behind two Dutch riders at a recent showjumping event in Holland, his first competition in Europe. Titled Houten Grand Prix, the event witnessed participation from different parts of the world.
Sponsored by the celebrated perfume brand ‘Amouage’, Sultan rode seamlessly and stood third after a battle with other expert riders at the event. This is a monumental success for the young rider.
According to Sultan, although the competition was rigorous, he is delighted to have won third place, “It was an honour to compete with some world class showjumpers and I am proud to be representing Oman at the international level and unfurling the Omani flag in Europe. I am so grateful to ‘Amouage’, my sponsors for this event, who took care of everything that was needed to be done. Their backup has been instrumental in my victory. I am really proud to carry their legacy forward through my sport.
“I would also like to thank my trainer Ingrid and the Olympic Equestrian Centre for backing me all through, even in terms of transporting my horse to Holland and giving me the much wanted advice.”
Sultan had to undergo major training with his new horse Taloubet Zeus, a 13-year-old mare and the winner of Oman Championship 2018. This was his first competition with Taloubet Zeus.
“It’s the horse which my father won with four times in the Oman Championship and because I sold my Grand Prix horse to the UAE team, I needed a new horse to go ahead with,” added Sultan.
Sultan is a forth generation rider in his family and has had contact with horses from when he was a toddler. He also started riding a very young age and won a silver medal at the Summer Olympics at the age of 17,
the only Olympic medal won by an Omani athlete in the history of the games. Where most people wish to end their sporting career with an Olympic medal, Sultan began his career with one.
The 24-year-old will next show his skills off in Belgium before competing at the prestigious Longines Masters event in Paris in November where he will also be sponsored by ‘Amouage’.
He is currently training hard under the supervision of his instructor Ingrid Van Weiden and his father Hamood al Tooqi to excel at the November event, which is his prime mission for this year.
The Longines Masters event will see the best of the best from all over the world compete in the French capital in November for the European leg of the Grand Slam Indoor of Showjumping.
The event has become the not-to-be-missed event on the capital’s sporting and cultural calendar, where movie and TV stars, business decision makers and world class riders will be eager to gather.
This Parisian event, which is held in the aegis of the Salon du Cheval of Paris and welcomes nearly 200,000 visitors each year, is well-known for its atmosphere made unique in the world thanks to the extraordinary enthusiasm of its spectators.
“I am grateful to His Majesty the Sultan for his wonderful vision for our country in all sectors including sports. It is because of his great vision
that the nation is developing in all fields today. I pray that the Almighty bless him. I am training really hard to excel at the Longines Masters event, I know it will be a tough fight, but I will give it my all,” added Sultan.
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