Washington: Bill Gates is often trending in the news mostly due to his fortune, philanthropy, or business acumen. But this time, his eldest daughter Jennifer Gates became the focus of attention as soon as she announced her engagement with longtime boyfriend, Nayel Nassar.
Nassar is a show jumper. He was born on January 21, 1991, in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in Kuwait. He is an award-winning Egyptian-American professional equestrian based in San Diego, California.
A Stanford University graduate
Nassar, graduated from Stanford with an economics degree in 2013, per Global Champions League. He is also multilingual and can speak English, Arabic, and French fluently.
Nassar had a choice to make during his last semester at Stanford. He was already competing as a showjumper but many of his friends had regular jobs lined up after graduation, Horse Network reported.
He was on the fence about whether to pursue the sport professionally or follow a traditional career path but decided to compete in the right before finishing up school.
Equestrian career
His parents–who have an architecture firm–hail from Egypt, and they got him his first horse when he was 10. Nassar has been riding horses since the age of five and began jumping at the age of 10.
Furthermore, he was ranked #41 in the world by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports and has won 36 jumping competitions since 2010.
Nassar helped Egypt qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games by winning the CS!04* -W Nations Cup of Rabat. The feat led to the country’s first Olympic qualification for the sport in 60 years.
Businessman
Apart from being an equestrian, Nassar is also a businessman. He launched Nassar Stables LLC in 2014. The firm is based in the city of Encinitas, which is located in San Deigo County.
Nassar and fiancee Gates
It is believed the pair started dating in 2016 or early 2017, but they spend much of their time together as equestrians. Gates says she is an amateur in the sport, but like her fiancé, she has a love for it and a passion for horses. The couple has plans to continue traveling together internationally for the sport, and Gates is currently furthering her studies. For now, the base for the lovebirds is California.