Al Attiyah prevails in thriller to clinch gold

Qatar’s star rider Hamad Ali Al Attiyah prevailed in a blistering round to strike gold in the Individual Jumping event of the equestrian competition of the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan yesterday.

It was also Qatar’s third gold medal and the seventh overall medal at the Ashgabat 2017 Games.

At the Equestrian Centre where a star cast of riders was vying for top honours in the final round of the competition, the Qatari rider came out on top in a seven-man jump-off against the clock.

He finished just over a second ahead of Saudi Arabia’s rising star Khaled Abdulrahman Al Mobty with Iranian rider Davood Pourrezaei claiming bronze.

“I knew I had to be fast and sharp to win the gold,” said jubilant Al Attiyah after his golden performance astride Clinton.
Al Attiyah, who competed at the Olympic Games in Rio last year, said that yesterday’s competition was a fast one.

“I was a bit fast, but not so fast, but I was lucky that when Khaled landed for the final fence he missed the turn between the tree.

“That’s what made me get the gold medal. I am thanking God for making me lucky. Rio was a good experience for me, I learned a lot.”

The Qatari rider who claimed silver in the Team event on Thursday, completed the course in a rapid 38.81sec urging on his 10-year-old gelding, at every chance.

Al Mobty, who is 18 years of age, finished in 39.91sec.

Pourrezaei had been the first rider to set off in the jump-off - where the course is altered and the fences raised in height - to set the benchmark time of 41.86, which eventually brought Iran the bronze medal.

Highly-fancied rider Abdullah Waleed Al Sharbatly of Saudi Arabia missed out on a gold medal double having guided Saudi Arabia to victory in the Team event.

The 2012 Olympic Games Team bronze medallist surprisingly knocked over the first fence to finish fifth.

It was the only fence he had down in four rounds during the event.