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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Olympic Run is an Education for Lily Chiu Zilo
By Lynndee Kemmet for DressageDaily.com

Lily Gave it Her All

When the Hong Kong Federation made it clear that it would have one spot in the summer's Olympic Games, Zilo dug in and went to work, but her biggest challenge was time. "I went from being a Prix St. Georges rider to trying to get to Grand Prix in a matter of months. It was a very tough goal," Zilo said. "If I'd had a little bit more time, I think the goal would have been more possible."

Much of the problem was that it was late in the process before Hong Kong knew for sure that, as host country, it had a guaranteed spot in the Olympics. Riders, such as Zilo, who were interested, had to cover much of the initial cost of their Olympic run, although the Hong Kong Jockey Club did help out.

"Fortunately, I had my own support team," Zilo said. "I had my own trainer, my own grooms – my daily groom and an international groom who would travel with me. I had my veterinary support, including chiropractor and acupuncturist.

I had my farrier and my own sports psychologist and my personal trainer. This whole process required a lot of effort and a big team. By the time we had it all set up and everyone felt comfortable, the time was really, really short. But everybody gave 120 percent to make this happen and I can't thank them enough."

To make it to the Olympics, Zilo needed two qualifying scores of 64 percent at a CDI and those scores had to come from "O" judges not from her native country. Not an easy task, especially for an amateur rider new to Grand Prix, who was thus not able to show the consistency in competition that judges like to see before awarding higher scores, Zilo said.

"It's also been seen in the past that other Asian nations have been known to buy really good horses to try and make an Olympic Games. And afterward, they just disappear. So there was a sense that this might be the same with me," she said.

Perseverance Furthers