In an interview with the Lusa agency, Duarte Seabra highlights that qualifying was already a victory, but he does not think it is unrealistic to make it to the final phase of the competition in Paris.

"I have been jumping in all five-star competitions - the highest level -, so I believe that making it to the final phase of the Games is realistic. After that, anything can happen, but I think that making it to the final phase was already a victory. Having qualified for the Games was already a first victory, but I think that making it to the final phase is a realistic goal and would make me very proud if I managed to do it", the rider emphasized.

Duarte Seabra secured the spot for Portugal at the beginning of the year, riding the horse Dourados 2, with which he will participate in the Games, but, to avoid any setbacks, he recently managed to qualify a second horse, Van Allen.

"I managed to qualify with Van Allen, which is a horse that I have had for a short time. I jumped in Shanghai last week and in the Grand Prix I got the result that allowed me to secure the horse's qualification, ensuring myself a plan B. It gives me some security, but plan A will always be Dourados", he said.

Despite having both horses qualified, Duarte Seabra 'bets his chips' on Dourados 2.

"The preparation is going well. At the moment, I have both horses qualified and ready to participate in the Games, but Dourados is my first choice. Everything is going well, the horse is in good shape, I have been competing almost all over the world this year, which has allowed me to have a good preparation. The expectations so far are good", he assumed.

In a sport in which the harmony between rider and horse is crucial, Duarte Seabra admits that this is one of the biggest concerns when he sets out for a competition.

"Without a doubt, this sport has this particularity, it is two living beings that are competing. We can be in our best shape and feeling very good, but the horse is not, or vice versa, the horse is very good and we, for some reason, are not on that day. That is what makes this sport also special. When things come together and the result appears, it gives a great satisfaction. That is what I hope, that on those days everything is aligned", he stressed.

The Portuguese rider also showed his pride in having secured the spot for Portugal and for having done so in a discipline, obstacles, in which the last representations had been in charge of the Portuguese-Brazilian Luciana Diniz, who participated in the London2012, Rio2016 and Tokyo2020 editions.

"I am proud to have secured the spot, but I would also be very happy if it were not so, because it would be a sign that many more Portuguese riders had already managed to do what I managed to do. After so many years, to have a rider born in Portugal again, in this case 100% Portuguese, I think it is a reason for pride, that it is a big step for our discipline and proves that it is really possible", the rider proudly stated.

Despite having a presence in the final phase of the competition in Paris2024, Duarte Seabra still sees his debut as a learning experience.

"I see these Olympic Games a little bit like when we build our first house and, normally, the second one always comes out better. Therefore, I would like to use these Games to learn a lot about this preparation and everything that involves a participation, so that, then with much more data and experience, I can have a more ambitious participation", he stressed.

As for the future of the sport in Portugal, he expressed the hope that his results and those of other riders can help in its development.

"I hope that our various achievements can serve as a lesson so that those in charge of our sport can help us more and better, because this is a very expensive sport and we need a lot of support, so that everything continues to evolve", he concluded.

The Paris2024 Games individual obstacle competition will be held at the Palace of Versailles, on August 5 and 6.