Sole Greek rider at European Showjumping Championships is in the top 10

Ioli Mytilineou riding Levis de Muze is making her senior championship debut at the European Showjumping Championships — Mytilineou Ioli, GRE, Levis de Muze European Championship Riesenbeck 2021 © Hippo Foto - Dirk Caremans 01/09/2021

(Image credit: Hippo Foto)

Eighteen months ago, Greece’s sole combination at the European Showjumping Championships were jumping one-star classes — today they sit in the top 10 in the individual medal standings.

Ioli Mytilineou and the 10-year-old Levis De Muze have yet to touch a fence in the competition, their senior championship debut; their superb clear today meant they go into tomorrow’s class in ninth place, ahead of a host of heavyweights, and just 2.33 penalties behind leader Martin Fuchs.

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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.

From one-star to Europeans top 10 in 18 months: meet Greek showjumper Ioli Mytilineou

“I’m honestly, over the moon,” Ioli told H&H. “I bought him as a seven-year-old so we’ve gradually worked our way up, and every step he goes up is also my step up – we’ve just grown as a team.”

Ioli said she “took it very slowly” to start, adding: “This time last year, the biggest we’d done was a two-star grand prix.

“So we took it very slowly, until he was nine, then when we felt he had the basics, and he’s a phenomenal horse, we could push a bit more,” she added. “So I went to Florida earlier this year, and jumped his first three-star and four-stand grands prix, and he was clear every time.”

Ioli’s clear yesterday was not the fastest; she said she had to “push myself out of my comfort zone” to up the tempo in the speed class, finishing in 22nd place.

“I think I put in a good enough round to set me up, so I’m happy,” she said.

Ioli said Elia Construction SA’s stallion is “lovely to ride”, in a latex-coated snaffle on the flat, and the addition of full cheeks for a touch of extra steering power in the ring.

“He’s so well balanced and super adjustable,” she added. “It was a short four from the wall to the next vertical and I got the wall exactly how I wanted and held, and he did five strides. He’s so adjustable, he just pulled back up.

“He’s one of a kind, he’s incredible.”

Ioli added that she has a huge amount of support from her home country, adding: “It’s nice to be able to give something back to a country that has always supported me, and I grew up there.”

The top 25 riders after tomorrow qualify for Sunday’s individual European Showjumping Championships medal decider.

“So maybe tomorrow I’ll be tough enough, as there are a lot of good riders here,” she said. “But as I was walking up for this round, I was actually chatting away to the horse, telling him that even yesterday, him jumping clear was enough. It’s more than I could have imagined.

“It’s all fun and games coming saying ‘Oh, I’d like to jump clear’, but you know what? It actually happened.”

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