Hong Kong's bid to qualify for next year's Olympic Games in London got a shot in the arm when the showjumping team finished 12th, in their first outing this season, at the FEI Nations Cup in Copenhagen.
'It was a creditable result considering we were missing one of our key riders and that another [rider] had a young horse,' said Hong Kong Equestrian Federation secretary Sacha Eckjans, who is also the Hong Kong Jockey Club's manager of equestrian affairs.
The four-star competition was won by Ireland while Hong Kong finished above traditional powerhouses Brazil, France and Norway. Hong Kong are preparing for the FEI Championship, July 9-10, in Aachen, Germany, which also serves as a qualifier for the London Olympics.
'The fact that we left three top teams behind us is a plus,' Eckjans said. 'This was a four-star event, a very competitive one - almost like Formula One - and we were up against some of the best riders in the world. This performance is a huge boost.'
Hong Kong were missing Jacqueline Lai Jing-man, who is making a steady recovery after fracturing her pelvis in a fall in February.
'We had to bring in a reserve rider, Raena Leung, for Jacqueline and she did remarkably well,' Eckjans said. 'Another of our riders, Kenneth [Cheung Man-kit] was riding an eight-year-old horse, which in showjumping terms is relatively young.'