In front of an astonished crowd, the Philippine team composed of veteran riders Colin Syquia, Toni Leviste, and Joker Arroyo came from an impossible distance behind the pack to take the silver medal at the team jumping competition of the Federation Equestre Internationale Asian Championships Pattaya 2019, the first continental championship in the multi discipline sport.
The sport of equestrian is not being staged at the 30th Southeast Asian Games due to the absence of quarantine and health protocols with countries from which competing horses would be originating and returning.
After the second day of competition in Pattaya, the Philippines trailed Uzbekistan by 8.17 faults for a bronze medal, an unlikely feat to overcome in light of the strong performance by the Central Asian nation.
“From the start, our team was competing at a great disadvantage, with only three riders, as opposed to the usual four, which affords a team a discard score and which normally relieves the riders of a lot of pressure, allowing them to perform at optimum potential,” said Carissa Coscolluela, president of team sponsor Equestrian Philippines Inc.
Going into the final day of the competition, the Philippines needed to catch up to Uzbekistan by riding faultless rounds, with tremendous pressure on each rider who knew that every score and every jump would count.
Syquia went in first on Chanel One and posted an effortless, immaculate, and masterful clear round that gave the team the shot of confidence that it needed.
“It’s a new horse I’m on and we don’t know each other too well, but everything really came together for us today,” said Syquia.
“It was a long shot, but we didn’t let that discourage us from trying,” said Olympian Toni Leviste, whose clear round on Loribri assured the Philippines of a bronze medal finish after Uzbekistan succumbed to and crumbled under pressure of Syquia and Arroyo’s competitive scores earlier in the show.
“We caught up after Colin’s and my round, and it was clear that we were hot on their heels, even we couldn’t believe it,” said Arroyo of the outcome.
Arroyo rode her Asian Games mount Ubama Alia, now already showing great signs of experience and mental maturity in the ring.
The team fought with intense focus and determination to edge Uzbekistan out of the podium, asking everything of their horses who rose to the occasion and hardly put a foot wrong on the final day.
With Hong Kong having a firm hold of the gold medal, it was up to Kuwait’s last rider to keep the silver for themselves, being more than eight faults ahead of the Philippines, now in third position. Asian Games 2018 gold medalist Ali Al Khorafi rode as the anchor rider for the Middle Eastern country, normally ensuring a fault free round, but an unexpected refusal and a fence down cost him 10 faults, ceding the silver medal to the Philippines, and placing Kuwait third in the final standings.
