His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee – Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Shaqab – crowned the winners of the first places in the Grand Prize that was held this evening at the Longines outdoor arena in Al Shaqab, at the end of the opening round competitions of the Longines World Tour Championship for show jumping champions, and the Champions League World 2023, organized by Al Shaqab – a member of Qatar Foundation, over three days with the participation of the world’s best riders. The German Philip Weishaupt won the first place in the Grand Prix round, which was held at a height of 160 cm with a distinction round, achieving 34.37 seconds on the horse. "Just Be Gentile"His compatriot Christian Kocuk finished second, and France’s Simon Delestre came third. Mr. Badr Muhammad Al-Darwish, President of the Qatar Equestrian and Pentathlon Federation, noted the great success witnessed by the competitions of the opening round of the Longines World Tours for show jumping champions, and the World Champions League 2023, which was organized by Al Shaqab – a member of Qatar Foundation, over a period of three days, with the participation of the best riders in the world. Al-Darwish thanked those who contributed to the success of the tournament, which witnessed strong competition among its participants. The President of the Qatar Equestrian and Pentathlon Federation said, in a statement today, that the last day of the tournament was distinguished in everything, whether in terms of attendance, turnout, organization or the strength of the competitions, and this reflects the great success of Al Shaqab in achieving the standards that make the international tournaments it organizes a distinctive mark. in the global equestrian field. For his part, Mr. Ian Topps, President and Founder of Longines World Tours for Show Jumping Champions, confirmed that the championship witnesses development and modernization every year, which we saw in the inaugural round, which Al Shaqab succeeded in organizing in the best way. He added that the championship this year witnessed a large participation of the best riders in the world, which increased the suspense factor in the competitions, especially in the Grand Prix round, which witnessed a large participation of male and female riders. He valued the good relationship between Longines International, Al Shaqab and the Qatari Federation, which hosted the tournament since 2008. For his part, Omar Al-Mannai, the tournament director, expressed his happiness at the success of the tournament, which witnessed strong competitions in 3 consecutive days and was well attended by spectators. He congratulated the first-place winners in the Grand Prize and in the rest of the tournament rounds. Al-Mannai confirmed that the expectations were very difficult regarding the expected champion, as it is always difficult to predict in the Longines World Tours, especially when the 12 best riders participated in the Distinction Tour, who presented a wonderful tournament. Regarding the participation of the Qatari rider, Rashid Twaim Al-Marri, Al-Mannai said:" This tournament was a challenge and a new opportunity for him, and he really did a great performance and I see that he will continue the great work and we expect more and better from him in the future.". The German knight Philip, who was crowned with the Grand Prix title, also expressed his happiness with the victory he achieved and with the impressive level presented by the knights in the Grand Prix round, indicating that the Al Shaqab round always achieves good results, as he won last season the runner-up position in this round and today he is crowned with its title. He praised the level of good organization and the splendor of the facilities owned by Al Shaqab, which provide all means of comfort and create ideal conditions for equestrian sport.
His Highness Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad ceremoniously bestowed the Grand Prize to the triumphant recipients at the culmination of the inaugural iteration of the Longines World Tours.
