FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
SIDELINESMAY 2014 11
Nayel andLordan taking their victory gallop following their
second place finish in theAIG$1MillionGrandPrix at HITS
Thermal.
Nayel and Lordan jumping their way to their first milliondollar win
– the 2013Zoetis $1MillionGrandPrix at HITSSaugerties.
PhotobyESI Photography
on yourself andwant togiveup, thingswill get better. “Have faith,
work hard, stick to your plan, learn from your mistakes and it will
happen,” he said.
Sowhat’son thehorizon forNayel? In thenear termhe’d like to
set up a small family operation inNorthernCalifornia. Thiswould
provideapermanent base for himandhishorses.Nayel isalready
qualified for theWorld Equestrian Games in Normandy, France,
this September. TheWEG iswhere hewill compete to qualify for
the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He
hopes tobe selected to represent teamEgypt. His plan is to keep
going until the Olympic Games in Rio. He says with a beguiling
smile, “I will reassess then if I’ve been a complete failure or not.”
Right now this is his passion and what he wants to do for
the rest of his life. Nayel’s success is not a lightning strike of
serendipity but abyproduct of layinga comprehensive foundation
in riding. His education, commitment and perseverance have
prepared him for thismoment in his career.
About the writer: Sophie St. Clair is a high school freshman from Southern
California. She has an interest in the psychology of high-performance athletes. She
is also a Junior Ambassador for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where she works
to raise funds and awareness for the hospital. Sophie isworking toward becoming a
professional show jumper but is taking it “one jump at a time.”
All photos byBret St. Clair, unless notedotherwise
