The Diriyah Equestrian Festival returned for another day packed with jumping brilliance, as Nasser Al Shawaf produced the performance of the night by winning the FEI Jumping World Cup sponsored by Longines. In the FEI Jumping World Cup, international jumping competition over two rounds (1.60m), Al Shawaf came out with the top prize as he cleared the double round in 41.12 seconds. With only 0.4 seconds separating the winner from the runner-up, the silver medal went to Emirati rider Mohammed Al Kumeiti with a time of 41.16 seconds. The third position went to Abdulrahman AlRajhi with a time of 43.44 seconds. The points for this competition were especially crucial as they feed into the riders' points needed to secure a 2020 Tokyo Olympics berth. The morning round was held for youth riders as they competed in the international jumping competition (1.25m/1.30m). Emirati jockeys dominated this round, claiming the first and third places. Coming in first place was jockey Eisa Al Owais with a winning time of 34.38 seconds. Following him in second place was Saudi equestrian Waled Al Ghamdi, adding to his second-place prize he claimed the night before in the international jumping competition against the clock (1.50m) World Cup qualifier. In third place with a time of 76.57 seconds was jockey Abdulla Al Maazmi, rounding off an impressive showing by the Emiratis. The small round of international jumping against the clock (1.20m) was won by Saudi equestrian Nasser Al Bagami with a time of 58.93 seconds. Emirati jockeys continued their strong showing in the day as Moufi Al Karbi claimed the second place prize with a time of 61.10 seconds. Bader Al Fard continued his impressive run in the Diriyah Equestrian Festival and racked up his fourth medal across the two weekends as he came in third place with a time of 61.24. The competition continued with the medium round in the international accumulator jumping competition with joker (1.40m), as Egyptian star Mohamed Talaat secured the top spot with a winning score of 65 points and a time of 51.85 seconds. In second place came Saudi rider Fahad Al Ghamdi with 65 points and a time of 56.54 seconds. Mohamed Al Malki took the third place on the podium, also scoring 65 points but with a time of 57.62 seconds. The Diriyah Equestrian Festival has returned for its second and final weekend as equestrians gear up to compete for what is a crucial stage in determining the qualification fate of several equestrians looking to take their horses and skills to Tokyo in 2020, with one more day to go. — SG
