RIO HOPEFUL SIDELINED BY INJURY

Camal [Jamal] Rahimov, a member of Azerbaijan's national equestrian team, has won the Oliva Nova tournament in Spain. 

Camal Rahimov riding Excenel V came first, covering the route in 72.62 seconds. Ralf Runge of Germany riding Summersault and Raphael Goehrs of France riding Surf du Moulin came second and third, respectively. Winning 50 licence points, Camal Rahimov got off to a good start vying for a berth at the Games in Rio. 

It is no accident that Camal Rahimov was performing on Excenel V in Spain. His main horse Warrior had been injured. This means that the licence points scored by Camal with this racer will not count. According to information from the Azerbaijan Federation of Equestrian Sport, riding Excenel V, Rahimov can hardly score the required number of points to get a licence for the Olympics. For this reason, Camal will not be able to represent Azerbaijan at Rio 2016. 

In his interview to R+, Camal Rahimov told about the latest event. "The struggle was thrilling. I made no errors and this played a great role in my victory. Riding at speed, I left all my rivals behind and showed the best result. I want to say it was a highly competitive tournament. After all, the winner was to get 50 licence points. I am very happy to be the one who got them. It should be kept in mind that the German and French winners of the silver and bronze medals, respectively, were experienced horsemen. They had won several events". 

Having mentioned the injury of his main horse, the rider nonetheless announced his intention to carry on struggle for the right to go to Rio. "I ought to respond worthily to support rendered by the President Ilham Aliyev and the federation. Being an athlete, I know that nothing can compare to Olympic success. Now every condition has been created for me and it is my duty to achieve good results. I was very eager to perform at the Olympics. However, the injury of my main horse foiled our plans. In recent years, I have been scoring licence points with Warrior. I stood a fairly good chance of going to Rio. In addition, I had been training with the horse for many years. We got used to each other. The injury put me in a hard situation. Currently Warrior is under medical treatment and will be unable to take part in events in the near future. This means that I cannot perform with Warrior in Rio. In order to go to the Olympics, I must take part in competitions for licences riding another horse. It looks unrealistic to meet standard requirements within just a few months but I will soldier on. Most probably though, I will not go to perform in Rio," Camal Rahimov said.

Rahimov is currently training with several racers, he said. "I have a few horses. Warrior is the main one. With this horse, I performed at the most important and prestigious competitions. Another horse is a little younger. This is why we trained with it for future competitions. As you know, this sport requires special horses. They must go through a long training period together with the rider. After complete training, it is utterly important for them to get used to the rider. Much funding is also required. Normally riders work with two or three horses. The main horse is meant for contending at the most important competitions. We have won many tournaments with Warrior. We dreamed of Rio. It looks like it's not on the cards for us".

Riders have been vying for licence points to go to the Summer Games for two years now. A rider winning a prize also scores licence points and, ultimately secures a berth at the greatest tournament on the planet. Until recently, winning a licence was quite a realistic prospect for Rahimov. However, the injury of his main horse Warrior left him virtually no chance to go to the 2016 Olympics. 

Camal Rahimov has represented Azerbaijan at Olympics on two occasions: in 2008 and 2012. It is Warrior that Rahimov was riding at the latest Games in London.