UAE rider Omar Al Marzooqi puts in commendable effort at Paris Olympics

Emirati finishes 19th in individual equestrian final

UAE's Omar Al Marzooqi aboard Enjoy De La Mure during the individual showjumping final at Chateau de Versailles. PA

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A memorable Paris Olympics came to an end for UAE rider Omar Al Marzooqi, who placed 19th out of 30 in the individual equestrian final on Tuesday.

Riding Enjoy De La Mure, the 21-year-old Emirati posted a time of 83.38secs with eight penalties at Chateau de Versailles to conclude his Olympic debut.

It was a Games to remember for the young Al Marzooqi as he was also the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony alongside cyclist Safiya Al Sayegh.

Al Marzooqi has made giant strides in showjumping. He won silver medal in individual showjumping at the Youth Olympics in 2018 as a 15-year-old. Despite being the youngest in the field in Buenos Aires, he became the first Emirati to ever step on the podium at a Youth Olympic Games.

On Tuesday, there were also impressive rides from Saudi Arabia's Ramzy Al Duhami (on Untouchable 32) and Abdulrahman Alrajhi (Ventago), who placed 11th and 13th respectively.

Al Duhami completed the circuit in 82.73 with four penalties, before Alrajhi secured a time of 85.68 with six penalties.

Meanwhile, Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali will aim to become only the third Arab athlete to win double Olympic gold when he runs in the 3000m steeplechase final on Wednesday.

El Bakkali won his heat on Monday with a time of 8:17.90 to make it to the medal round.

His principal rival in Paris will be Tokyo silver medallist Lamecha Girma, the Ethiopian who last year in Paris set the new world record time – 7:52.11 – for the event.

Joining El Bakkali and Girma in the final are Ahmed Jaziri of Tunisia and Mohamed Tindouft of Morocco.

Also competing on the track on Wednesday is Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, who runs in the semi-finals of the women’s 400 metres, while Qatar’s Abdulrahman Samba runs the semi-finals of the men’s 400m hurdles.

On the field, Mutaz Barshim prepares to defend his Olympic high jump crown.

The Qatari made history at the Tokyo Olympics when he agreed with Italian rival Gianmarco Tamberi to share the gold medal.

Tamberi’s participation is far less clear after the Italian posted a picture of himself in a hospital bed suffering from suspected kidney stones.

Barshim, one of only two Qataris to win Olympic gold, has also had injury problems leading up to Paris. No athlete has won back-to-back Olympic golds in the men’s high jump.

Saudi Arabian taekwondo standout Dunya Abutaleb will make history as the first female athlete from the Gulf kingdom to compete at the Olympics on merit.

Dunya Abutaleb was the flagbearer of Saudi Arabia at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. Getty Images

Abutaleb holds the distinction of being the first female Saudi to qualify for a Games. In 2012 in London, judo athlete Wojdan Shaherkani became the first Saudi woman to compete at the Olympics thanks to a special invitation from the International Olympic Committee.

Her historic debut lasted just 82 seconds, as she was beaten in the first round.

US-born Sarah Attar, another invitee, finished a distant last in her 800m heat on the track. Attar was one of four Saudi women to compete as wild cards at the 2016 Olympics, and they were followed by two more at Tokyo 2020.

Abutaleb has become the poster child for Saudi Arabia's push to champion women's athletics, and her face can be seen on posters and billboards throughout the country. But the Jeddah native had much humbler beginnings.

“I started taekwondo when I was eight years old and there was no support like now,” Abutaleb, who also has a law degree, told AFP after a recent training session in the southern mountain city of Abha.

“I always played with the boys in the boys' centre, originally without girls. I used to wear a head-covering on my hair so as not to show that I was a girl.”

Abutaleb has taken advantage of the newfound state backing, bagging gold at the 2020 Arab Taekwondo Championship and bronze medals at the Asian and World Championships in 2022.

Earlier this year she upgraded to gold at the Asian Taekwondo Championships.

Up first for the Saudi is Abishag Semberg of Israel with their 49kg last-16 bout slated to start at 12.47pm UAE time.

Also competing in the women’s 49kg category is Tunisia’s Ikram Dhahri, who faces Danela Paola Souza of Mexico, and Morocco’s Oumaima El Bouchti takes on Ana da Costa da Silva Pinto of Timor-Leste.

In golf, Morocco’s Ines Laklalech is in the final group to take part in the women’s individual stroke play.

Laklalech made history as the first Moroccan, North African or Arab woman to win a tournament on the Ladies European Tour, a remarkable achievement she accomplished at the Lacoste Ladies Open in Deauville during her rookie season in 2022.

The Egyptian men’s handball team take on France in the quarter-finals (11.30am).