RIYADH, 12 March 2004 — For Saudi national team standout Kamal Bahamdan there’s nothing like the Olympics to test himself in pursuit of excellence in the highly demanding sport of equestrian. The man simply loves challenges. He’s done two world championships (Rome and Spain) and two Olympics (Sydney in 2000 and Atlanta in 1996) but he now wants a medal no less when he is picked to represent the Kingdom in the Games of the 28th Olympiad which Athens will host Aug. 13 to 29.
At 33 the champion equestrian says that nothing gratifies him more than donning the Saudi colors in international competitions.
“This year I just want to push myself a little bit harder I’m devoting more time to my sport to see how far I can take it and hopefully reap dividends at year’s end,” Bahamdan told Arab News in an interview, buoyed by a recent run of successes including the Prince Sultan ibn Abdulaziz Cup for the Islamic Equestrian Championship which he won last December.
At this point the Saudi Equestrian Federation is still in the selection process as to which two riders will carry the Saudi flag in the Athens Games. The selection will be based on the performance in the five competitions including the Sunshine Grand Prix in Spain.
“Our aim is to improve on the bronze medal finish in the last Olympics by Khalid Al-Eid. It is important to pick the best two, the best representation of the country in Athens All riders agreed to put the country above our own personal interests,” said Bahamdan. Bahamdan leads teammates Al Eid, Ramzi Al Duhami and Adnan Al Baytoni in the race for two spots on the Kingdom Olympic team.
After skipping the third leg, Bahamdan is returning to Spain for the last two. In the first leg he won the speed class and had second and 10th place finishes in the Grand Prix Tour to go with his fifth place Grand Prix finish in the second leg.
Bahamdan will also campaign in showjumping events in France, Germany and Holland.
In a sport where rhythm and harmony between man and horse are deemed crucial Bahamdan was full of praise for his mount, Campus, a German-bred horse “who is full of talent with little experience.” They had been together two years and first season competing in Grand Prix events.
Campus, Bahamdan says, still has room for improvement in the areas of physical ability and conditioning. The son of a prominent banker, Bahamdan developed a taste for horse riding when he was seven.
In time Bahamdan was counting his achievements, among them, first place in the 1999 Grand Prix Fleet Jumper Classic, second in the 1999 Valkenswaard International Derby and decent finishes in several New England regional events.
A dedicated sportsman, Bahamdan has set lofty goals for himself and is determined to reach them: after jumping 70 places in the world computer rankings to 200 he hopes to break into the top 100 before May and top 50 by September this year. With a determination like Bahamdan’s nothing it seems is impossible, not even an Olympic gold medal.
