daniel chigunwe
Ellina Mhlanga-Senior Sports Reporter
FOLLOWING her participation at the Youth Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, a few weeks back, Amy Hay says the experience has been an inspiration as she looks into the future.
Her dream is to represent Zimbabwe at the Olympics.
Hay was part of Team Africa that won bronze in the team event.
The team was made up of Zimbabwe, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.
For Hay, meeting some of the world’s top show jumpers and watching them compete made her realise how much she needs to work to reach the top.
“I was very grateful to be competing amongst some of the world’s best junior riders, and couldn’t believe I was actually riding in the world-famous Aachen arena.
“The fact that thousands of people were watching me did not bother me, as I was focused and just wanted to do the best I could.
“I loved meeting and talking to the top show jumpers in the world, and met the likes of Scott Brash, Marcus Ehning and Martin Fuchs, who is currently ranked number one in the world.
“To watch them compete live in the Nations Cup and Rolex Grand Prix was incredible. The whole experience inspired me greatly and made me realise that I have a whole lot of hard work to do before I get to that level,” said Hay.
Hay and her Zimbabwean bred warmblood horse, Rivens Whirlwind, qualified Zimbabwe for a spot at the Games in 2021 and got confirmation this year as only five African nations are selected.
For now, the focus is on finishing her high school education and move to South Africa for more competition to lay a strong foundation for her future targets.
“My plan is to finish the current schooling year at Hellenic Academy and write my A Level exams. I will then move down to South Africa for the next two years to ride full time, as they have a fantastic calendar with some very exciting tournaments.
“The teenagers I competed against in Germany are allowed to compete in the junior category at a higher level than the rules allow for in South Africa.
“So I will have to go up to the adults category in order to ride the higher heights. The aim is to ride the next two years on the South African circuit and to get myself comfortably up to the 1.40m/1.45m heights and to do consistently well at that level.
“Once I am comfortable and confident at that level, then I would really like to make my way across to Europe and see how best I can get into the riding scene over there.
“The dream is to ride in the Olympics for Zimbabwe and to do well for my country. I would like to bring more awareness to the sport, and at the same time to showcase our beautiful country on the world stage by promoting the flag wherever,” said Hay.
Following the postponement of the quadrennial Youth Olympic Games in Dakar to 2026, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) requested the International Olympic Committee to organise an alternative event to be held in 2022.
In agreement with the IOC, the Youth Equestrian Games, built around the same principles as YOG, were staged to avoid young athletes being negatively impacted by the absence of the YOG.
Online Reporter