Abdullah Mohd Al Marri Exits Aachen After Fibula Break
Injury Ends A Months-Long Build-Up
UAE showjumper Abdullah Mohd Al Marri has withdrawn from the FEI World Championships in Aachen after fracturing his fibula in an accident, ending a build-up he had planned for months. The 42-year-old had been due to make his championship debut when competition begins on 19 August 2026, partnered with BBS McGregor, the horse he rode for the UAE at the Paris Olympics. He confirmed the news on Sunday 9 August 2026, saying "sometimes sport has other plans for us."
Al Marri had qualified for the FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany, where he was set to make his first appearance in the event with BBS McGregor. The fractured fibula ended the pair's campaign before it began. His UAE team place passes to Sheikha Latifah bint Ahmed bin Juma Al Maktoum, who rides the 10YO Hanoverian stallion Cornet XL, with chef d'equipe William Funnell -- the UAE team's manager, responsible for selection and strategy at the championship -- overseeing the switch.
UAE Team Place Passes To Al Maktoum
The FEI World Championships in Aachen form one of the most significant international team competitions of the European summer, having also served as a qualifier route through events such as the Nations Cup at St Gallen. Al Marri had been targeting the meeting as a first for his championship career, built around his partnership with BBS McGregor, the horse with whom he already carries Olympic experience from Paris.
Abdullah Al Marri's Olympic path had been described as a realised dream before this setback, having built his international profile over more than two decades of competition for the UAE. He said the injury brought the Aachen build-up to what he called an "unexpected end," a phrase that captures a campaign shaped by qualification, training and now enforced absence.
Al Marri explained the emotional weight of the withdrawal in his own words. "It's difficult to put into words how I feel knowing that I will miss the World Championship in Aachen due to an injury," he said. He added that representing the UAE "is something I never take for granted," a remark that frames the championship less as a single event than as a continuation of a long personal commitment to the national team.
Abdullah Mohd Al Marri Stays Grateful
He described the qualification itself as a source of pride, saying Aachen was "a championship I was incredibly proud to qualify for." Al Marri added that he had been "working towards with my horses, my team, my family and everyone around me for a long time," locating the setback within a broader campaign rather than a single missed date.
He said the sport "has given me some of the greatest moments of my life, but it has also taught me that setbacks are part of the journey." He added, "you can prepare for everything, give everything, and sometimes things still don't go according to plan," a line that sits alongside his description of the qualification process itself.
He closed his statement by naming those around him. "Of course, I'm disappointed. But I'm also grateful," he said, thanking "my horses, my team, my family and everyone who has supported me throughout this journey." He said he was "especially grateful for every opportunity I have had to ride into an arena carrying the UAE flag," a remark that ties his individual campaign back to national representation.