RIYADH: Latifa Al Sheikh of Kingdom Equestrian Team, which is sponsored by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding Company, won first place in the Sheikha Fatima bint Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Women’s Endurance Championship held in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Sixty-eight female jockeys from the GCC and Europe participated in the 90km challenge. Latifa completed the race in 3 hours 10 minutes and 17 seconds. Sheikha Fatima and Sheikh Mohamed bin Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan jointly awarded Latifa the top place cup. Moroccan rider Ms. Maha Khaled took second place and European jockey Ms. Jata finished third.
Prince Alwaleed, commenting on Latifa’s success, said: “The Saudi sportswoman continues to prove that she is a force to be reckoned with.”
Latifa said that her achievement came with God’s blessing and Prince Alwaleed’s continuous support to the team and its members. Latifa is trained by Najeeb Al Barjes, Kingdom Team’s manager and trainer. The rider demonstrated optimum skills at each stage of the challenge: she came fourth in the first stage, third in the second stage and gained momentum to compete for the lead in the third and fourth stages against her GCC and European competitors.
Latifa expressed her delight at winning the event especially as she was competing with first class international jockeys. She added that when she won the challenge, she raised the Saudi Arabian flag with pride. She had participated in several races in the UAE and came second in the last challenge. However, this time around, her victory stands as a testimony to the competence of the Saudi women in sports. Latifa also thanked Alreef stables for their support.
Al Barjes said that Latifa is on the path to achieving more victories, and this victory is sure to make all Saudis proud.
Kingdom Team series of achievements include, Latifa’s second place in the Women’s Endurance Championship held in 2009, Abdulrahman Alhawas’ top position in the challenge winning the Al Khalediah Prince Khaled’s Cup Endurance Challenge 2009. In 2008, Kingdom Team won the Alwafa International Championship Cup held in Damascus, Syria.
The Saudi Show Jumping Jockey Khaled Aleid earned the highest points in the final Arab League qualifying for the World Cup Championship. In March 2008, Aldahami achieved first place in the Qatar International Championship Cup held in Doha, Qatar. In February 2008, Saudi Show Jumping jockey Ramzi Aldahami won first place in the King of Bahrain Championship qualifying for the World Championship finals.
