[WEC Reports] Amaya buoyant on Uruguay's chances

The New Straits Times Online
2008/11/05
By : Ajitpal Singh

photo: Amaya kisses his beloved horse Ar Vale after a training session in Lembah Bidong yesterday. — Pic: IMRAN MAKHZAN

URUGUAY believe it will be their year to be crowned world champions in both the individual and team events at the 12th FEI World Endurance Championships (WEC) which starts tomorrow at the Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP) in Lembah Bidong, Setiu.
But their fortunes will depend on World No 2 Juan Miguel Pio Olascoaga Amaya, the highest ranked rider in this competition.

For the record, Uruguay have never won a title in the WEC, which incepted in 1986.

Amaya, 28, a winner of two 160-km titles this year, said he and his teammates have the experience to wrest the title from hot favourites the United Arab Emirates and France.

"We have been training hard and our horses have adapted well to the humidity. We like the track as it's flat and soft.
"I hope to compete both in the individual and team events for Uruguay," said Amaya at the TIEP in Setiu yesterday.

"As the top seed in the individual event, the pressure will be on me to perform. My strategy on race day is to get a head start and maintain my speed throughout. I need to opt for this strategy as my main rivals will be doing the same."

At the WEC, Amaya will be riding his trusted eight-year-old horse Ar Vale which he has been riding for the past seven months.

The others in the Uruguay squad are Adriana Basso MacGregor, who will be riding Ed Virka, Flavia Maria Danvila (Count Spot), Sofia Maria Danvila (Nortea), Juan Cruz Aranda (Espartaco In) and Isadora Mackinnon (Guarda Costa). Their coach is Amaya's father, Pio Olascoaga Silveira.

Unlike in previous editions, the WEC in Terengganu will start tomorrow evening after the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) had taken into account the humid conditions in Terengganu.

The 133 riders will have to complete 160km in 13 hours and 20 minutes. The race will be broken into seven loops or phases.

Amaya also described the facilities, including the stables, at the TIEP as world class.

"The TIEP offers the best facilities for riders and horses. I have raced in may courses and I must say, this course has the best stables and track."

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Posted By Steph Teeter to WEC Reports at 11/05/2008 02:25:00 AM

[WEC Reports] Uruguay Team Banks On Women Power in Endurance Riding C'ships

Bernama.com
November 04, 2008 19:26 PM

SETIU, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- Apart from lining up their top most rider, Olascoaga Amaya, who is the world number two and highest ranked endurance rider in the FEI-World Endurance Championship (FEI-WEC) here from Nov 6-9, Uruguay are also fielding four women riders, including two sisters.

Uruguay coach Pio Olascoaga Silveira said their six riders, consist of two men riders, Olascoaga Amaya and Juan Cruz Caceres Aranda who form the backbone of the team, and four women riders, Adriana Basso Mac Gregor, Isadora Machkinnon and sisters Flavia Maria and Sofia Maria Fernandez Danvilla.

"All the women riders are very passionate about this toughest endurance race. They are well prepared to compete against the 142 riders from 32 countries," he said after a training session held at Pantai Merang, here, today.

Asked on Uruguay's target for the championship, Olascoaga said the team's ultimate aim was to win the team title.

He, however, acknowledged that they will face a strong challenge from defending champions France as well as Portugal, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

"In actual fact, we are not too worried about our competitors but rather the hot and humid weather conditions here that might affect our riders and the horses," he said.

Meanwhile, sisters, Flavia, 24, and Sofia, 22, said since they are not familiar with night riding, they are set to face a new challenge as the race starts at 5pm and goes on right through the night.

"In Uruguay, we seldom ride at night. However, to meet the requirement of this championship, we have trained several times at night and now have some knowledge and confidence of competing against the rest," said Flavia who rides Count Spot.

The FEI-WEC, a 160km endurance horse race held at the Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP) in Lembah Bidong, is regarded as the toughest horse race in the world as the competition winds around paths along the beach, woods, several water crossings, village settlements, plantations, flat logistic roads and tarmac crossings.

Apart from Uruguay, riders from South Africa, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Guatemala, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, France, Portugal, Qatar, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United States and Britain are competing.

Malaysia are represented by 12 riders and led by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.

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Posted By Steph Teeter to WEC Reports at 11/04/2008 04:33:00 PM

Uruguay: 2009 Pan American Championship

November 2008
Endurance.Net

The FEI has finalized the details of the 2009 Pan American Championship. The competition will be held on April 24 near the popular resort town of Punta del Este on the southern coast of Uruguay. This area, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Rio del Plata River, is modern and upscale and a very popular vacation destination with a wide range of hotels, restaurants, country clubs and resorts. It also offers everything for a beautiful and challenging competition - forests, grasslands, lakes and long stretches of sandy beach.

The Championship will be held over a distance of 120 kilometers.

According to Ketty Friedman, a Uruguay FEI 4* Judge who has been involved with International Endurance in Uruguay since 1997 a very dedicated core group of people have been working together to build the sport in Uruguay, and are primarily reponsible for the finalization of 2009 event. Gustavo Sclavo, president of the Uruguay Equestrian Federation has strong ties with Endurance discipline, has also been instrumental in building International Endurance in Uruguay, and in helping secure the bid for the 2009 Pan American Championship. They are certain that Uruguay will host a world class event and they look forward to introducing the world to this small South American country.

Uruguay Endurance - Endurance.Net coverage of 2007 Rocha Internacional





Photos: Beach at Punta del Este, Ketty Friedman and Gustavo Sclaro at Rocha Internacional Endurance, Pueblocasa - artist Carlos Paez Vilaro, Sailboats at Punta del Este