61-Year-Old Equestrian Vows Comeback After Missing Spot at the Paris Olympics 2024 Qualifiers Due to Injured Partner

As the countdown begins for the grand extravaganza at the Paris Olympics 2024, equestrian riders are busy fine-tuning their jumps. But there are long-sighted ambitious riders who have started preparing for the Los Angeles 2028 despite facing a setback at the Paris Olympics qualification. The 61-year-old Morrocan show jumper is determined to follow his passion, and the Olympic medal dream in America 4 years later.

The Grand Prix winner made his first Olympic appearance in the 2016 Rio Olympics at the age of 54 years. Regarded as one of the best show jumpers in Morocco, he is ready to put in sweat to ‘keep going‘ after the Olympic dream.

Moroccan equestrian vows to ‘keep going’ despite setback

Moroccan jumper Abdelkebir Ouaddar is an inspiration for many equestrians around the world. A flag bearer for Moroccan equestrianism, Ouaddar has dreamt of Olympic Games as a child, and several decades later, he still nurtures that dream. “

Going to the Olympic Games is the goal of every athlete, it’s something just magnificent. I always dreamed of going to the Olympic Games when I was a kid, even when I was riding with Sharif Moulay Abdallah Alaoui“, he revealed in an interview with Olympics.com.

While he rose to International fame early, it took him some time to finally achieve the Olympic dream. A dream debut at the 2016 Olympics followed by the 2020 Olympics, Ouaddar will unfortunately miss the Paris Olympics after his horse, Istanbul, suffered an Injury. But he isn’t demotivated. “We shouldn’t give up, we have to keep going, equestrian is like that. If we don’t manage to qualify for the next Olympic Games, then we’ll try again four years later“, he added. The 61-year-old vowed to prepare for the Los Angeles 2028, aiming to secure a similar team quota to 2020.

Abdelkebir Ouaddar’s equestrian career

Abdelkebir Ouaddar rose to international fame after participating in the 2014 World Equestrian Games in France. He secured 13th rank in the individual competition and 27th in the teamwise competition. Owing to this brilliance, he qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Living his childhood dream, Ouaddar had a 49th-place finish in the individual competition.

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In addition to the Olympics, Ouaddar starred in the FEI’s 2016 contests. He secured a 1st place finish in the 2016 Grand Prix Hermes in France, making the year one of his most prolific ones. Ouaddar later participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the team quota. Earlier in 2019, he secured 2nd place individually in the Regional Games Rabat. While he misses the Paris extravaganza, equestrian enthusiasts would hope to catch Ouaddar’s glimpse at Los Angeles 2028.

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