Chiara Zenati

Started: She began riding at age six at the Departmental Equestrian Centre [UCPA] of La Courneuve in Paris, France. "I took lessons until I was 14 when I took part in my first Para dressage competitions. My former coach Brigitte Rinaldi wanted to promote Para sport and so she turned to me because I was her only Para sport athlete. That's how it all started." (ouest-france.fr, 09 Dec 2023; chiara-zenati.hubside.fr, 09 Jul 2021) Reason: Her mother enrolled her in several activities like capoeira, dance, basketball and swimming, but she particularly enjoyed riding horses. "What I love most in this sport is the contact with the animals. They don't judge us, no matter how we look, whether we are impaired or elderly or young, the horse accepts us as we are." (Conseil Departamental de la Seine-Saint-Denis YouTube channel, 16 Apr 2021) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (chiara-zenati.hubside.fr, 09 Jul 2021) Milestones: She was age 18 years and 167 days when she competed in her first event at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, which made her the second-youngest competitor in equestrian dressage in Tokyo [behind Italy's Carola Semperboni] and the second-youngest French competitor in any sport in Tokyo. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 May 2024) Awards: She was named 2023 Young Rider of the Year by Grand Prix magazine. (grandprix.info, 26 Dec 2023) Additional Info: TOKYO REFLECTION She was the second-youngest competitor from any nation in equestrian at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. She admits that she was surprised to get the opportunity to compete in Tokyo. "I wasn't planning on competing at Tokyo 2020 because I started to ride at the Cadre Noir [riding school] in 2019, so the partnership with my horse Swing Royal wasn't ready to go to the Games. During my first competition in Macon I did an excellent competition and therefore during the COVID lockdown the French team leader called me to tell me that I had an invitation for the Tokyo Games. I thought it was a dream, I couldn't believe it. We showed what we were capable and I finished fifth out of 18 [in the grade III open individual championship test] during my first Games. The fact that the [2024] Games are in France puts higher pressure on me than if they were somewhere else. My biggest dream for Paris will be to win a medal." (Facebook page, 17 Apr 2024)