DOHA: Qatar’s star rider Bassem Hassan Mohammed is pleased to compete in the three-day show jumping gala on home soil, saying he wants to finish the 2015 season ‘on a positive note’.
“For us, it is an important event since I have my family and friends here,” Bassem said. “It is a special event,” the Dutch-based star said.
“Yes, I am based in Holland. It is really nice to come here and compete in such fine weather at such an amazing event,” he added.
“Yes, that’s true,” Bassem said when asked if show jumping had grown in Qatar. “There are many youngsters in Qatar wanting to learn and train in show jumping.
“We have many young kids at Al Shaqab and then at Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF). It is really good for the sport that they are involved at such a young age,” he said.
Since then, Bassem has made a number of key appearances on the Qatari Nations Cup team. His first international win came in Chantilly and Valkenswaard in 2012 with Levicci. In 2014, he was part of the Asian Games Gold medal winning Qatari team.
“I am looking forward to competing at the Olympic Games,” Bassem said when asked about his goals in 2016.
“It is really something unique that I will be going to the Games. I have really nice horses. The trainer will decide who I ride at the Games.
“I have good horses for sure. I feel I am going to do really well,” he said. “It is important we do better here this week compared to last season. I hope I can finish the season on a good note,” he said.
Bassem’s international show jumping career begin at the Doha Olympic Qualifiers in 2011.
Bassem qualified for his first FEI World Cup Final with Rosalia La Silla in 2013. He put in a fantastic performance in the 2014 LGCT Antwerp Grand Prix with a new horse Primeval Dejavu, finishing 4th.
Later in the season, he became the first Qatari ever to win an LGCT Grand Prix when he rode Victoria to victory in Monaco.
THE PENINSULA
