BY MAGRETH RUZVIDZO ZIMBABWE’S up-and-coming show-jumper Amy Hay and her Zimbabwean-bred warmblood horse, Rivens Whirlwind have booked a spot to compete at the 2022 Youth Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany.
The event will take place from June 23 to July 3.
This is an International Federation for Equestrian (FEI)-sanctioned event which is taking place since the Youth Olympics were not able to go ahead.
This comes after Hay and Whirlwind attained double clears in the second and third competitions of the FEI category A World Jumping Challenge in Johannesburg, South Africa, last year and came first in the second leg. Hay was the only Zimbabwean to achieve a double clear in the third leg of the competition.
The pair finished a credible 12th position on the overall world rankings for category A.
The 17-year-old also made waves after she became the first Zimbabwean show-jumper to win gold in the South Africa Youth Grand Prix Championships last year.
Only top five qualifying countries from Africa made it to the Youth Equestrian Games. These are Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.
Hay’s success can be attributed to her big sacrifices — choosing to spend time away from home, and doing her Advanced Level studies online with limited resources under coach Charley Crockart who is also a Zimbabwean show-jumper competing at the highest level in South Africa.
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Other countries which qualified for the competitions include Germany, Belgium, France, Britain, Russia, United States, Australia and Argentina.
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