FEI Awards 2024: Longines FEI Rising Star

Chiara Zenati (FRA)

Para Dressage – 21 years old

Chiara’s mother signed her up for ‘baby swimmers’ when she was just six months old. Following that, she tried out several other sports and activities such as capoeira, basketball, oriental dance, drawing, and of course, horse riding.

Practicing a variety of sports has brought Chiara an enormous sense of well-being but also, due to her disability, an ability to look for solutions in how to achieve her goals. In horse riding Chiara found what she had been missing, a non-judgmental partner, the horse. Horses have helped her to flourish and pushed her to surpass her internal battles.

While looking to always push herself further, Chiara has experienced some great adventures and made some great connections with horses, especially with Swing Royal *IFCE. This horse has taught her a lot, given her the opportunity to participate in major events and to win medals.

As a Frenchwoman, competing at Versailles (FRA) during this summer’s Paralympic Games was certainly a memorable moment, especially since it also marked the retirement of Swing Royal *IFCE and a new chapter for both. Chiara credits her involvement in sport as a key factor in her development as a person, and in how it has given her a sense of freedom and autonomy.

Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi (UAE)

Jumping – 21 years old

Omar started horse riding at the age of seven at his father’s stables at the Albahiya Equestrian Club. His equestrian sporting career took off when he participated in his first national show at the age of nine, before taking part in his first international event at 12 years old.

In 2018, at 15 years of age, he proudly represented his country at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires (ARG), where he won individual silver. This was a huge accomplishment as this was the first medal ever, for the UAE in Jumping. Following the Youth Olympic Games, Omar was determined on working hard to be able to compete at Olympic Games. In 2023, he was selected for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 with the UAE team and later that same year, went on to win an individual silver medal and team bronze at the Asian Games.

There was very much a French flavour to his achievements this year as, not only did he compete in Paris, but he is also completing his final year at the University of Sorbonne in Abu Dhabi. Omar stood out at the Olympic Games in Paris for being the youngest athlete in equestrian and for qualifying for the Individual Final, ultimately finishing in the Top 20 on his Olympic debut.

Jessica Dertell (AUS)

Dressage – 20 years old

Australian international Dressage athlete Jessica was born into a highly successful equestrian family and was raised learning all the fundamentals of riding, horse care, along with all there is to love about equestrian sport. She says that she was riding before she could walk!

Based at the family-owned Future Farms in Victoria (AUS), Jessica has been riding and competing Grand Prix-level Dressage since she was 15 years old and is one of the youngest national Dressage team members ever.

In her young career, she has already achieved many of her goals. She has won at every CDI across Australia from Youth to Senior Category and was shortlisted for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She has also competed in CDIO5* FEI Nations Cup™ events, FEI Youth Nations Cup™ events was awarded the title of Australian Champion in the Junior, Young Rider and Senior Grand Prix category all in the same year, which has never been done before.

Jessica spends her days working and training all kinds of horses through the different levels of their chosen discipline. Her favourite discipline of course, is Dressage. She is determined to continue to be a great representative for equestrian sport, to inspire young equestrians across the world to chase their wildest dreams and strive for excellence in every stride.

Mathies Rüder (GER)

Eventing & Jumping – 19 years old

Mathies’ family runs a riding school in northern Germany. He credits his father, Kai Rüder, as his best trainer and it helps that he was an Olympic rider himself! Starting active pony riding before he could walk, Mathies learnt to train his horses himself to bring them up to high level.

Mathies sees his strengths in his ability to have the right feeling to train and motivate his horses as partners, along with his capacity to be a 100 percent focussed in a competition. His priorities are always based on good horsemanship and the well-being of his horses.

Mathies dream was to successfully compete in the Hamburg Derby, the Badminton Horse Trials and the Olympic Games. This year, at the Hamburg Derby, he achieved a Top 10 finish with For Freedom EKT, and a placement in the 1.60 m Hickstead Derby course as youngest competitor. After having won individual gold in 2022 at the FEI Eventing European Championships for Juniors with his horse, Bon Ton, this year the pair were part of the German team winning the bronze medal in the Young Rider category.

Mathies’ ambition continues to burn as he seeks to accomplish his goal of becoming a professional athlete with his Eventing and Jumping horses.

FEI Awards 2024 

This year’s FEI Awards features four categories with the short-listed nominees hoping to add their names to a roll of honour that dates back to 2009.

The public have until 13 October to cast their vote for the 16 shortlisted nominees. The winners will be decided by a voting system that is based 50% on the public vote and 50% on the judges’ panel featuring equestrian experts. The winners will be announced at this year’s FEI Awards Gala presented by Longines, in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on 13 November. Vote here today!