A lot of Jamaicans were extremely happy when the news came in 2008 that there would be a competitor in the sport of Equestrian at the Olympic Games. Canadian born Samantha Albert has a Jamaican mother and English father but opted to compete for the black, green and gold. She became the first female to represent Jamaica at equestrian sport in an Olympics, in Hong Kong, China. She repeated that achievement in 2012 at the London games.
Her junior counterparts are continuing to write the Jamaican chapter in this sporting discipline, when two of the country’s junior equestrians reaped great success at a meet on the South American continent on Sunday.
Danielle Gore riding in the under-12 category came out victor in the showjumping event at the annual Guaymaral Gran Derby 2014 FEI Children’s Invitational Showjumping competition, which was held in Colombia.
The second Jamaican representative, Hannah Deleon, who participated in the 14 and under category, barely missed out on a medal as she placed fourth among age-group rivals at the South American event.
Both Jamaican riders were from the start of the competition wading in foreign waters having to compete on horses that were not belonging to them. Despite the disadvantage they proved to the spectators that they were not there just to make up numbers.
The Guaymaral Gran Derby consisted of two qualifying rounds over two days, followed by the finals. Gore showed true brilliance from the start as she gave a faultless display throughout her jumps. She produced zero faults over the three days of intense competition and came away with the fastest times every day, toppling 22 other riders from six different countries and two continents.
She did the rounds on two horses, ‘Africa’, which was declared horse of the final, and ‘Tabasco’, which was voted the runner-up, to finish the Final A competition as the FEI 12 and under champion of Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Germany and Jamaica.
Speaking with the gleaner team in an interview when she arrived back in the island, the Hillel Academy student was quoted as saying “It was very difficult because I had to go against the owner that rides my horse every time. I was very confident because I had the support of my coach and my teammate”
Her fellow country woman Deleon went up against more riders, 29, from the same number of countries in a hotly contested competition.
Deleon also competed on two different horses, making it to the final with nine faults on ‘Natasha’, on whom she did the qualifying rounds, then Kitaro, on whom she committed five faults in the final.
Deleon also sharing with the Gleaner revealed that she had issues with one of her horse refusing to take some of the jumps. She was however of her achievements
“I think that I tried my best because it was very difficult to go abroad and ride a horse that I am not used to, but I am still proud of myself,” Deleon said.
These two younger female riders continue the good junior representative in that continent, and s finding favour with the Columbian nation, as it was just two years ago that two of their fellow female junior Equestrians Sofia Asher and Sara Misir flew the Jamaican flag high at the FEI International Children’s Jumping in Bogota, Colombia.
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