Equestrian Australia High Performance Weekly Update – 10th May 2021

As the momentum builds in the lead up to the postponed Games our identified athletes have been out in force delivering impressive results and continuing to hone their performance plans in anticipation of Tokyo 2020.

Sydney International 3-Day Event took place over the weekend and saw outstanding competition in both the disciplines of eventing and Para-dressage. In addition to the regular suite of international and national eventing classes the organising committee also offered riders vying for Olympic team selection the opportunity to compete in a unique CCN4*-S class. The CCN4*-S class was created to allow riders to complete a 4* preparation run, and to also ride the Tokyo 2020 dressage test under competition conditions. It was encouraging to see our identified riders take advantage of this opportunity, with some athletes making the journey from as far as Western Australia to take part. The CCN4*-S class was won by Olympian Stuart Tinney riding Celebration with the combination completing the three-day competition on a sub 30 score of 28.40.

For the second time, Sydney International 3-Day Event also included Para-dressage classes alongside the main eventing competition. This year the Para-dressage competition held additional importance marking the final Australian qualification opportunity prior to Tokyo 2020. The event was also the first Australian CPEDI competition to take place since Covid-19, allowing combinations a final chance to gain international exposure before the Paralympic team is selected in July. It was fantastic to see competitors from both New South Wales and Victoria taking part, and we would like to thank the Sydney International 3-Day Event organising committee for once again including Para-dressage within the program.

In Europe over the weekend our dressage riders were formidable as they amassed a trove of accolades across three countries. Lyndal Oatley and Kristy Oatley both delivered impressive performances at CDI3* competitions in Hungary and Germany, respectively, accumulating multiple wins and placings between them. Simone Pearce, the current Australian Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special record holder, proved to be unbeatable as she swept the board at the CDI4* Ornago in Italy, winning all four Grand Prix classes on offer at the event. In addition to winning every class she entered Simone also produced scores above 71% on all four horses she rode. The impressive performances by all three riders only serves to further encourage the confidence we have in the depth of our talent pool, and we optimistically look ahead to Tokyo 2020.

As we continue to prepare and refine our strategic and operational planning for Tokyo 2020 we are also working closely with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and Paralympics Australia (PA) to ensure the health and safety of our team is maintained at all times. Vaccination hubs begin opening for athletes this week in Australia, allowing our Tokyo 2020 hopefuls to begin the vaccination process if they have not already done so. The vaccinations will provide our athletes with an additional layer of protection and we welcome the decision for our identified riders to be included in category 1b. We continue to work closely with the AOC and PA regarding the provision of vaccinations for our overseas-based athletes and we will liaise directly with all of our identified riders on this matter as further information becomes available. 

As always the health and safety of our people and horses remain our priority as we work together as a high-performance community to navigate these unprecedented times.