Equestrian Toni Leviste becomes first Filipino to win int’l dressage event in Europe

Filipino Olympian and equestrienne Toni Leviste made history by becoming the first Filipino to win an international dressage competition in Europe after ruling the FEI Prix St. George dressage class at the Flemalle CDN in Belgium last Saturday.

Leviste scored 68.603% to surpass the 67% qualifying score for the Southeast Asian Games set by the Equestrian Association of the Philippines which also earned her a spot for the biennial meet.

The Sydney 2000 Olympian bested Belgian competitors Anneleen Wagemans (66.544%) and Laurens Vanderbeeken (65.956%) who completed the podium.

Leviste, a silver medalist in the 2002 Asian Games, was riding a Lacoste 126 Hanoverian gelding during the competition.

Leviste recently transitioned to dressage which is a sport focused on training horses to perform a series of predetermined movements, according to Equestrian Australia’s website.

—GMA Integrated News