The Young Riders and Juniors European Eventing Championships have just ended, hosted from 13 to 17 September at the facilities of the military riding center of Montelibretti.
With the ribbon cutting carried out by Gen. ca Mauro D'Ubaldi, logistics commander of the Army, by Gen. b. Bartolomeo Polidori of COMFORDOT, from col. Marco Del Nevo, 70th commander of the military riding center, from Gen. Francesco Caramia, president of the ANAC (National Association of Cavalry Corps Montelibretti section), by the vice mayor of the metropolitan city of Rome Pierluigi Sanna, by the mayor of Montelibretti Luca Branciani, by the councilors of the Lazio Region Elena Palazzo and Manuela Rinaldi, The competition was officially started by Sir Stuart Buntine, British technical delegate of the FEI (International Equestrian Federation) and by Francesco Girardi, sports director of FISE (Italian Equestrian Sports Federation).
In the highest youth categories of the Olympic eventing discipline, all the athletes on the field, 125 from 19 different countries, demonstrated a high technical preparation, competing for the podium until the last pairing. The final show jumping test was decisive after the initial two days dedicated to Dressage and the competition in the countryside on the Cross Country.
To excel in the category Young Riders in teams the Team Italy composed of Edoardo Fortini, Camilla Luciani, Pasquale Migliaccio and Corporal Major Matteo Orlandi. The latter, athlete of the army sports center and active at military riding center, was the best Italian in the category who closed the three tests (Dressage, Cross Country and Show Jumping), riding his "Quality in Time".
Winning the team gold for the category Juniors was the German team, the silver medal was won by Great Britain and on the third step of the podium was the French team. In the junior championship, Germany won the individual gold while the silver went to the Italian Leopoldo Petrini riding “Emerald Jonny”. Bronze medal for France who finished in third place.
With team gold and Petrini's silver, Italy ranks second in the European Championships medal table behind Germany and followed by France.
The edition therefore ended with an excellent result for the Italian athletes and for the entire event in which the motorcyclists of the "Legion of Saint Michael" also participated with their stand. The commander of the military riding center Colonel Marco Del Nevo, expressed his profound satisfaction with the event and for the synergy with the institutions that exist in the area, in particular the municipality of Montelibretti and the metropolitan city of Rome Capital which sponsored the entire sporting event.
