Sameh El Dahan

The former Egyptian showjumper has rocketed up the rankings since making the career move to Ireland, and is now in the running for future British teams having swapped nationalities. Jennifer Donald meets him

- Jennifer Donald

“I’M ready to give everything for Great Britain,” declares Sameh El Dahan, with an energy and positivity that exudes from this utterly charming rider. “These are new beginnings, a new adventure, and I’m ready for the next challenges.”

You’d be forgiven for not recognizing Sameh’s name from British squads, and that’s because until just a few months ago the 36-year-old was flying the flag for his native Egypt. He helped his country achieve Olympic qualification for the first time in 60 years – one of his proudest moments, he says – and he’s jumped at two World Championships. He was propelled into the spotlight when winning the Rolex Grand Slam at Spruce Meadows in 2018 and qualified for this year’s Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix.

But a dispute with Egypt’s federation over selection for Tokyo not only crushed Sameh’s Olympic dream but led to him switching allegiance. Having been based in Northern Ireland for the past decade with showjumper Joanne Sloan-Allen and her family, whom he describes as “his rock”, Team GB was the obvious choice and he’s been warmly welcomed. But the situation cast a dark cloud over what should have been a milestone year in Sameh’s rocketing career.

“It was the worst moment of my entire life,” reflects Sameh frankly, pointing to the hair he lost through those anxious times. “I still love my country but I also love people that support me and I’ve struggled with my federation for so long. You turn a blind eye and try to focus on your own thing, but when things started with the Olympics…”