Zimbabwe’s Camilla Kruger will make history in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games, being the first Zimbabwean ever to compete in an equestrian sport at the Olympic Games.
Kruger and her horse, Sam the Man, qualified for the Rio Games after finishing top of the Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) Olympic qualification standings for Africa and the Middle East.
Kruger will line-up in the eventing competition, one of the three Olympic equestrian disciplines where a single horse and rider combination compete against other combinations across the three disciplines of dressage, eventing, and show jumping.
The 29-year-old rider set herself a target of finishing in the top 15 in Rio, but would be aiming to challenge for a medal in the next Olympic event to be held in Tokyo in 2010.
Kruger is currently based in the United Kingdom.
Her love for the sport comes from her upbringing in her family’s farm in Zimbabwe.
Kruger will be part of Zimbabwe’s relatively big contingent of 12 individual athletes who have so far qualified for the Rio Olympics led by seven-time Olympic medalist Kirsty Coventry and the women’s football team, the Mighty Warriors.
Zimbabweans will definitely throw their support behind their first ever representative in the equestrian sport.
The Summer Olympic Games begin on 5 August in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.
