Qatar Team Ready for 2008 World Endurance Championships
Young Group of Qatar Riders Features Veteran Atta Mohammed Beer
Doha, Qatar - The Qatar Endurance Riding team is looking to its future as it prepares for the 160 km World Endurance Championship (WEC) to be held on November 7 in Terengganu, Malaysia.
After two years of competition to qualify, Qatar will be represented by a rapidly developing group of young riders that features one seasoned veteran, 44-year-old Atta Mohammed Beer. This will be the fifth WEC appearance for Beer, who competed in his first championship in 1998 and finished 15th in the international field in Dubai.
The entire Qatar team annually competes in endurance events for Al Shaqab, member of the Qatar Foundation. As the seasoned competitor, Beer is joined by a talented group of younger riders that range in age from 19 to 25. Of that group, only Abdulla Towaim Al Marri joins Beer with competition in a previous WEC event. The 20-year-old Al Marri was part of the 2006 Qatar team that competed in the championship in Aachen, Germany.
The team also includes brothers Mohammed Tahous Al Nuaimi and Hassan Tahous Al Nuaimi. Mohammed Tahous is the team's second-oldest rider at 25, and was followed into the sport by Hassan, a 20-year-old. The brothers enjoy a friendly rivalry in races and daily practice rides. They have been solid performers over the past season while competing in France.
As the youngest members of the team, 18-year-old Faleh Nasser Abughenaim and 17-year-old Khalid Sanad Al Nuaim have proved their talent this season. Faleh, an accomplished jump rider, began endurance riding only two years ago. His fourth-place finish in the St. Galmier event in France was the best finish this year in competition outside of Qatar. His time was a mere 26 seconds behind the winning mark of 8:59:02. Khalid, who is also a former Qatar Jumping Team member, led the team with a third in the 100km Doha Endurance race in February.
The 2008 Qatar Endurance Team is led by Chef d'Equipe, Owaida Al Hajeri, and trainer, Hadi Nasser Al Naimi trainer.
The experience of competing in the WEC will serve as the foundation for Qatar's future success in endurance riding. The team has set their sights on additional goals, including the 2010 championships that will be held as a part of the highly popular World Equestrian Games to be held in Lexington, Kentucky, USA.