Kunzle gets fitness thumbs-up

SWAKOPMUND rider Michelle Kunzle’s hopes to be the first Namibian to participate at the FEI World Champion Challenge in Santiago, Chile, in November will be realised after she fully recovered from a leg injury sustained in Omaruru in July.

After the accident, Kunzle thought that her dream would never be realised, but her doctor confirmed that she has recovered well and should be eligible to compete at the event. “I was ecstatic! Overwhelmed with happiness,” she told The Namibian Sport.”It’s a dream becoming a reality.”Kunzle was selected to participate in the international showjumping event after her good performance over the last year in one of the FEI Africa-zone qualifying-rounds.Out of five countries (Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Kenya), she was the only rider selected.There are altogether nine FEI zones around the world.Each year, every country has a FEI tournament during which the riders compete for points that could qualify them for the event.In July, however, at a showjumping tournament at Omaruru, Kunzle suffered a setback when one of the horses she was riding ran amok and she broke her right leg in four places.At first, the doctors were sceptical that she would recover in time.”With seven weeks to go before the competition, I still have more than enough time to prepare myself for my international exposure,” she said, even though she still has a steel pin and screws in her leg.”Nothing can stop me now.””I was ecstatic! Overwhelmed with happiness,” she told The Namibian Sport.”It’s a dream becoming a reality.”Kunzle was selected to participate in the international showjumping event after her good performance over the last year in one of the FEI Africa-zone qualifying-rounds.Out of five countries (Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Kenya), she was the only rider selected.There are altogether nine FEI zones around the world.Each year, every country has a FEI tournament during which the riders compete for points that could qualify them for the event.In July, however, at a showjumping tournament at Omaruru, Kunzle suffered a setback when one of the horses she was riding ran amok and she broke her right leg in four places.At first, the doctors were sceptical that she would recover in time.”With seven weeks to go before the competition, I still have more than enough time to prepare myself for my international exposure,” she said, even though she still has a steel pin and screws in her leg.”Nothing can stop me now.”