MARAYLYA’S Stuart Tinney found out he had qualified for the Australian Olympic team for eventing last night.
Tinney, who won gold at the Sydney Olympics, will head to Rio de Janeiro with the rest of the Australian team to compete next month.
Tinney said it was a relief to know he had qualified.
“It has been a long preparation,” he said.
“You spend many months and years trying to get your chosen horses to the right events that you can qualify in.”
Tinney has been in the UK in the lead up to the Olympics.
“I must have been going well enough for the selectors to name us,” he said.
“There are only two of us from Australia, the other two are Australians based in the UK. It is very hard to get in that team of four and I feel privileged to be there, however my performance has been good this year and on form.”
Tinney said he was confident in the abilities of the three horses which qualified for the Olympics.
“My horse Pluto Mio ( owned by John and Jane Pittard from VIC) is very seasoned and performed well 2 years ago in France at the World Championships coming 11th so I think the Games will be right up his alley,” he said.
“I have a second horse as a reserve and he is owned by my wife Karen.
“The other one I left in Australia is a super horse but not ready yet for such a Championship so I will try for the World Championships in Canada in 2018 with him. He is called War Hawk and owned by Corinna and Darren Huskinson from Kenthurst.”
Tinney said he was hoping for a gold medal.
“Of course [I am hoping to win gold], I won gold at Sydney and I would like another. Not that I am greedy,” he joked.
