Saudi Arabia added another chapter to their remarkable record at the Asian Games on Thursday, claiming their fifth Team Jumping title in six editions as final combination Ramzy Al Duhami and Untouchable 32 produced the decisive clear to secure gold.
The defending champions were the only nation to finish the two-round competition on zero penalties at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Games. The United Arab Emirates and Japan both finished on four penalties, leaving the silver medal to be decided on time. The UAE prevailed by 7.35 seconds, with their three counting rounds totalling 218.77 seconds to Japan’s 226.12.
Course Designer Louis Konickx set 12 obstacles and 15 jumping efforts for both rounds at the JRA Equestrian Park in Tokyo (JPN). The opening 510-metre track featured a double at fence eight before a late triple combination at fence 11. For round two, the course stretched to 515 metres, with the double moving to fence six and the triple appearing at fence nine.
Gold medallists Saudi Arabia on the podium during the Team Jumping Final medal ceremony. (FEI / Yusuke Nakanishi)
Saudi Arabia and the UAE entered that second round locked together on zero, with Japan on four penalties and Qatar on five. Japan had no discard score with only three combinations in the Team competition, but Taizo Sugitani, Koki Saito and Eiken Sato all jumped clear to leave their total untouched.
Sato admitted the pressure was unlike anything he had experienced for a long time, and there was a scare on the final line.
“When I heard the crowd cry out, I thought we had knocked the fence down,” Sato said. “My immediate thought was ‘it’s over’. When I looked ahead and realised it was still standing, I knew I had no intention of knocking down the final fence.”
The UAE had entered the round on zero, but four penalties from both Abdulla Almheiri and Omar Al Marzooqi left them level with Japan on four. Their faster combined second-round time put them ahead of the hosts, while Qatar completed the competition on five.
Saudi Arabia still had their final combination to come. Abdulrahman Alrajhi with Lorenzo ES and Khaled Almobty with Diana du Plevau Z had both jumped clear, while Saad Alajmi and Davenport picked up four penalties. A medal was assured, but Al Duhami could settle the gold with a clear: that would allow Alajmi’s score to be discarded and leave Saudi Arabia alone on zero.
“It was a lot of pressure,” Al Duhami said. “The team was depending on me, and I could not afford to have any faults, so I had to be very focused. I was the anchor of the team, with a lot of experience. I had to be there on the day, and I was very happy to do it.”
Al Duhami and Untouchable 32 delivered, leaving Saudi Arabia as the only team to complete the competition on zero. The UAE took silver, Japan secured bronze and Qatar finished fourth, just one penalty outside the medals.
“I’m over the moon,” Al Duhami said. “A gold medal is always a nice thing. It’s been a long road and a lot of hard work, and the team pulled it off.”
For Alajmi, gold came in his Asian Games debut and with a new partnership. The experienced 15-year-old Davenport had been competing internationally at 1.60m level with Alajmi’s teammate Almobty as recently as August.
“I had so much pressure on me, but with a team like these riders you can only focus on yourself, because you know that they’re going to deliver a super round,” Alajmi said. “So it made it so much easier for me.”
While Alajmi was finding success with a new partner, Al Duhami and Untouchable 32 were building on years of shared experience. They had already won Asian Games Team gold together at Hangzhou 2023 before finishing 11th individually at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and representing Saudi Arabia at this year’s FEI Jumping World Championship in Aachen (GER).
Thursday’s victory followed Saudi Arabia’s previous Team triumphs in Doha 2006, Guangzhou 2010, Jakarta 2018 and Hangzhou 2023, extending their dominance across two decades.
The Jumping program continues with the opening rounds of the Individual competition on Saturday, before the title is decided on Sunday.
Results here.
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