By Kenneth Tan
It was supposed to be a memorable and significant day in Singapore's sporting history, especially in the sport of equestrian. As the first-ever Singaporean rider to represent the Republic at the Olympics, Caroline Chew was looking to create some waves at the Baji Koen Equestrian Park on Sunday afternoon (July 25). She was slated to compete in Group D of the Individual Dressage Grand Prix qualifying event.
The 29 year old was one of 60 riders from 30 nations competing in the open-gender individual dressage – which involves performing a series of movements with precision, athleticism and grace – with the top 2 riders from each group and 6 with the next best scores progressing to the final (Grand Prix Freestyle).
In the absence of a capacity crowd of 6,000 spectators due to Covid-19 safety measures, Caroline's Olympic debut however, ended in swift disappointment. At the end of 4 minutes into her routine, the 29-year-old was called to a stop. And after a brief inspection of her trusted 17 year old gelding's mouth, they were both disqualified.
According to a statement released by Singapore's National Olympic Council : Caroline and Tribiani were eliminated from the dressage individual qualification competition today. They were eliminated in accordance to FEI dressage rules article 430.7.6.1:
As Caroline was leaving the arena still mounted onto the 17-year-old Tribani, she was on the verge of tears and many could empathise with her on the disappointment that she felt. The full-time lawyer, who is based in Gloucestershire, England, had built up a great bond with her trusted horse over the last six years. They'd both featured in various major competitions such as the 2018 World Equestrian Games and SEA Games.
Caroline’s participation in the Olympics was only confirmed a month ago as she posted a personal best of 69.674 at the Dressage Grand Prix in Le Mans, France in June – surpassing the minimum requirement of 66 needed to qualify for the Olympics. That came pretty unexpected as she only had two weeks to prepare for Le Mans and without her coach being able to travel along.
After today's unfortunate incident, Team Manager and Caroline's coach Matthew Frost said, "We are sorry to report, Tribiani had a very scant cut on the lip during one the movements. The rules are extremely strict and designed for horse welfare, and the judge stopped the test immediately. We are happy to report that Tribiani has recovered and there's no trace of any injury remaining. This type of incident happens from time to time, and we can only put it down to bad luck on the day.
So with less than 2 weeks to prepare for her qualifier in France, just how did she go on to secure a Personal Best Score and also book her ticket to Tokyo? For those riveting details and much more, catch Caroline in a special 2-part Zoom call interview, which took place from her London residence on 28 June.
(PART 1 - Raj Kumar interviewed Caroline on 28 June)
(PART 2 - Raj Kumar interviewed Caroline on 28 June)
The 32nd edition of the Olympic Games is from 23 July to 8 Aug 2021. For all coverage and news of the Republic's national athletes who're competing at the Games, check out the official Team Singapore Tokyo 2020 website.
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Additional Reporting by Raj Kumar