Showjumpers Omar Al Marzooqi, Sheikha Latifa and other UAE athletes to watch at Asian Games

The 20th Asian Games commence on Saturday in Japan, concluding on October 4 at the Aichi-Nagoya venue. Approximately 11,000 elite athletes from across Asia will converge for the continent's largest sporting event, with the UAE fielding a 117-strong male contingent and 48 female athletes across 23 sports. Following their impressive 16th-place finish at the 2018 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where they secured five gold, five silver, and 10 bronze medals, the UAE aims to surpass its previous performance this year.

Showjumping is one of the equestrian disciplines featured at the Games, and UAE riders have proven capable in this event. At the last Asian Games, the UAE secured bronze in the team competition, as well as silver and bronze in the individual events. Omar Al Marzooqi and Abdulla Al Marri claimed the individual silver and bronze medals respectively, with Al Marri unfortunately ruled out for the Tokyo Games due to a leg injury sustained during the World Championships in Germany.

Nonetheless, Al Marzooqi, riding Enjoy de la Mure, and Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum, piloting Cornet XL, will be vying for medals. Alongside them are Abdulla Al Mheiri on Hudson de Vains and Humaid Al Mheiri on Foncetti VD Heffinck.

Sheikha Latifa, at 23 years old, made history by becoming the first Emirati woman to qualify for the Olympic Games. She is also a two-time Asian Games medallist, having claimed individual silver and team silver at the 2010 Guangzhou Games. The UAE has a strong chance of adding more medals to its collection, but they will face tough competition from defending champions Saudi Arabia and the 2018 Hangzhou runners-up, Qatar.