Show jumper Kenneth Cheng achieves surprising Olympic standard on his second best horse to enhance Tokyo hopes
- Cheng reaches benchmark in Portugal aboard Tyson AZ, his backup horse, and becomes the second rider from Hong Kong to do so after Patrick Lam
- Hong Kong Equestrian Federation to select individual quota place for Tokyo Games after June 21 qualification deadline
Show jumper Kenneth Cheng Man-kit achieved a surprising Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) for the 2020 Tokyo Games aboard his second best horse in a CSI4 show in Portugal earlier this month, joining fellow rider Patrick Lam Lap-shun to become the second Hong Kong rider to achieve the benchmark.
In the Grand Prix at Vilamoura, Cheng, the 2008 Beijing Olympian, and his horse Tyson AZ cleared all obstacles at a 1.5-1.6 metre height with only one time penalty. The MER allows a score of not more than four penalties in a Grand Prix competition at a CSI4 event. The surprise was that the near-flawless showing was achieved aboard the 32-year-old’s backup horse.
“The result was beyond our expectations as Tyson has never achieved that height before,” said Angela Kong Ka-fung, secretary general of the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation. “The horse was rented for Cheng mainly for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou – a lower level than the Olympics.
“The result proves the rider has done a great job in pushing the horse to its best to clear that height. It’s just marvellous.
“We now have two showjumpers that have achieved the MER for the Olympics and, of course, hope to see more in the coming months before we make the final selection for the Olympic berths in June.”
Other showjumpers gunning for a spot at the Games include Jacqueline Lai Ching-man, Raena Leung Hou-ling and Clarissa Lyra. Each is chasing the MER and the Federation will select the individual riders for Tokyo 2020 – from those who have achieved the MER – after the June 21 deadline.
Hong Kong’s Patrick Lam achieves qualifying mark for Olympic show jumping
Hong Kong did not obtain a team spot for the Tokyo Olympics but thanks to Cheng’s effort as one of the best two athletes in the region in the 2019 rankings, one individual showjumping place has been secured.
With only horses that have achieved the MER able to compete in Tokyo, Kong said Cheng would continue to campaign with his top horse, Elle Dorado, for other shows in Europe in hope of achieving the MER again so that he can choose from more than one horse for the Tokyo Olympics, if he is selected by the federation.
“All jumping shows in Europe are temporarily suspended until mid-April due to a serious flu infection among the horses, but the conditions are improving,” Kong said. “Hopefully they can bring back competition some time later next month so that our riders can compete again.
“Cheng only started working with Elle Dorado in January and the combination did well last month. Other Hong Kong riders are also working very hard for the qualification as well as the China National Games in September, which is also a top target for the year.”
FEI revisions revive Hong Kong show jumper Cheng’s Olympic dreams
Hong Kong has already secured qualification for one individual place in eventing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Thomas Ho, who remains the only rider that has achieved the MER, should be the man to represent Hong Kong at the Games this summer.
