By MARK REY MONTEJO
Olympian and veteran equestrian Toni Leviste is now almost sure of earning a berth in the Philippines team to the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games this September after securing enough points.
This came after Leviste’s strong showing in dressage at CDI Brno in the Czech Republic and CDI Kronberg in Germany last month that enabled her to gain enough points required to pass the Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MERs) with both Lacoste 126 and Fanto.
Both events are sanctioned by Fédération Equestre Internationale.
Under the FEI rules, each horse-and-rider combination must independently achieve a minimum qualifying score of 62 percent and they did it in the CDI competitions.
Leviste, however, needs the final nod from the Equestrian Association of the Philippines (EAP) to make her fifth Asian Games stint official.
The 52-year-old Leviste made her first Asian Games debut in Thailand in 1998 where she won. a silver.
Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski made heads turn during the 2002 Busan Games in South Korea with a stunning gold medal performance.
“Representing the Philippines has always been one of the greatest privileges of my life. Qualifying both Lacoste, my partner at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, and Fanto, a horse rescued from the war in Ukraine, for the Asian Games makes this achievement especially meaningful,” said Leviste.
“I am deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey, and I now look forward to continuing our preparations and proudly representing our country once again,” she added.
Fanto’s story, in particular, has drawn attention after the 11-year-old German Warmblood gelding was rescued from Ukraine during the bombing two years ago.
Apart from her Asian Games exploits, Leviste also competed in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, appeared in multiple FEI World Championships, and the FEI World Cup Jumping Finals before shifting her focus to dressage in 2023.
