Participation in the 2021 Balkan equestrian jumping championship held in Athens 16-19 September 2021

In September 2021, based on their achievements and performance in international shows over the summer of 2021, Maria Ellen (Marlen), Vafeades (Year 4)  and Petros Georgiou (Year 2)  participated in the 2021 Balkan Equestrian Jumping Championship.

This is the first time Cyprus has been invited to participate in the Balkan Equestrian championship. Cyprus was represented in the Juniors’ and Childrens’ categories by Marlen and Petros, respectively.

The Balkan Championship is one of the highest-ranking annual events in the region organised by the European Equestrian Federation (EEF). Only the top national teams and individuals throughout the region are invited to participate through a stringent selection process based on high-performance criteria. This is the first time that Cypriot riders have attained the relevant eligibility criteria and participated in the event.
 
The Balkan Juniors and Children Championship tournament were spread over three days and four separate competition events and were fiercely contested between the top  riders from 11 countries in the Balkan area;
 
Both Marlen and Petros successfully completed the event with some notable achievements that brought both of them to the prize-giving ceremony:
 

• Marlen’s best performance came in the 1st leg of the Individual Juniors ( 14yrs -18 yrs) event; This event was run over a challenging course set at the height of 1.25 - 1.30m – Marlen managed to complete the course finishing in 5th place for that event and participated in the prize-giving ceremony.

• Petros’  best performance came in the final leg of the Individual Childrens’ event – Grand Prix for children ( up to 14 yrs old); This event being a Grand Prix for the day, was run over a challenging course and a classification jump-off course set at the height of 1.20m and 1.25m respectively, with Petros finishing both legs with no faults and attaining the 2nd position with the Cyprus flag hovering in the event’s final prize-giving ceremony.

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