Ioli Mytileneou: Running to victory at the Paris Olympics

Nto believe in the dream to make the dream a goal encourages young men and women n Ioli Mytileneou before traveling on his horse to pair to represent Greece in one of the oldest sports of the Olympic Games, horse riding.

“Horsemanship was always his focus in life me, since I was little. As I was born into an equestrian family I was surrounded every day which led to my growing love. It’s just what I love to do and I’m so grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity to pursue it so far. “said Ioli Mytilineou, one of the members of the Greek mission in Paris, to Marie Claire.

Ioli, as Hana’s mother did twenty years ago, will represent Greece in equestrian, one of the oldest sports of the Olympic Games, which was started as an event in 1900.

In fact, horse riding is incredibly special because in three sports that include men and women to competeas horsemen or Amazons, and considered a team of their horse, which was also awarded with achievements.

Participation in the Olympics for Ioli has begun “like a distant dream, with gradual efforts to make it a reality over time.

My mother was a member of the Greek national team at the Athens Olympics in 2004, which of course was a moment of inspiration for me. It allows me to think that my dream doesn’t have to be just a dream, but a goal».

At 26 years old, Ioli Mytileneou has distinguished himself in competitions in Greece, the Balkans and Europe. Show jumping, in which he competes, requires excellent cooperation between horse and rider.

“One cannot do his job without the other. Since we are working with an animal whose mode of communication is non-verbal, it is our responsibility to maintain its physical and mental well-being to allow it to feel its best.explained Ioli Mytileneou, and continued:

“Like people, they can have a bad day, so that’s something we need to understand and address.. Of course it is possible that your horse has a bad day on a day that is good for you, which in turn affects the final result.

But these are the rules of the game and what separates a good rider from a great one is its ability to reduce the effect of a bad day on the horse».

to ride, the rider or amazon and the horse become one to achieve the best results. In fact, nothing can protect them in the inevitable event of a bad landing or fall.

“I really believe in developing a bond with the horse, because I think it is an advantage to have a partnership with him based on trust and care.

My horses know that I will do anything for them and, in return, they will give me one hundred percent every time. If you feel this is true, it means that your relationship with the horse is now strong”promoted Ioli.

It’s the same he doesn’t consider himself making sacrifices to reach a high level of competition where it is located, as well “It’s a life I chose to live because I love the sport, horses and everything that surrounds them. High-level jumping requires a lot of horses to stay high in the world rankings, which means you spend many weeks away from home.

However, even if you have house, you are still super focused on training and organization. This means no real vacation time.

Instead of seeing it as a bad thing, I think it’s important to accept it and make it a tool to teach you how to use your time wisely.

To compete in the Olympics, he is currently training and competing with seven horses.

“The youngest is 8 years old and the oldest is 13 years old. In addition, I have several small horses that develop their skills under the care of another rider until it is time for them to enter my own system. The development process of a young horse is different from a real sports career, so developing them with a third party allows me to focus only on the highest level.”.

At the moment he does not know which lucky horse will accompany him to Paris, as he does “the luck of the draw” among many horses.

“There are still two months left, so whichever horse seems to be in the best physical and mental condition at the time is my partner”!

“Truly, a horse can only be as good as its rider allows it to be. For a rider to be successful it is of course important to have a horse with all the right characteristics. But it is the combination of these characteristics of the riders that form a successful team. lines the Greek Amazon, adding to that “A good horse makes the rider’s life easier, and it is not common that a person can find all the ideal qualities in their total size in one animal. But with the right rider, it has the potential to unleash features that might not be visible at first..

But, as he pointed out, what makes a rider “good” this is the skill “fall down seven times and get up eight times.” To turn every defeat into a lesson and finally turn it into his greatest victory.”

For an athlete’s equestrian career to last, it is necessary “a deep understanding of horses, how they act as creatures and their mentality.

Being able to pack years of training into 1.5 minutes during a race is a skill mastered by top athletes – who are now, just them and their horse. said the 26-year-old Ioli.

He considers riding horses to have had a huge impact on shaping his personality to this day, so he can’t pick just one life lesson he learned from them. However, it is amazing the virtue of patience.

“Horses are animals with big hearts that will reward you for the love you show them. If they like something, you will understand and if they don’t, you will. It has shaped me into a patient person who tries to understand things from my perspectives other than my own, because this is what we have to do every day: to put ourselves in the shoes of our horses».

Ioli has had his mind on participating in the Olympic Games for years, shows the daily dedication it takes to get himself and his horses in a good place to compete.

“I would say that I am focused on my goals, but I am not consumed by them. I have big goals that I dream of achieving with a general idea of ​​what it takes to get there. However, in a game like ours and with its ever-changing nature, flexibility must be our best friend. A plan can only be implemented to its fullest extent if it is in our best interest horses will allow it.”

“Like every athlete, I naturally have big ambitions for the Olympic Games. Qualifying for the final is a great achievement, but I’m mostly engaged in pushing my limits and seeing how close I can be. Although a top 10 finish is unbelievable, I will be proud of what I did regardless of the final result.

Show jumping is a difficult sport to predict because it is not always about who is the best rider, but also who is in the best shape, which horse is in the best shape, who is ready of thinking and who is willing to fight the most. battle that day”States Ioli Mytileneou, the first athlete to compete in equestrian under the Greek flag in twenty years.

“Only time will tell how I will do, but what I can guarantee is that I will do everything to represent Greece in the best possible way.” promotes.

Although he now lives and trains abroad, and often travels between countries and cities for the needs of his sports career, our country still has a special place in his life.

“Born and raised Hellas and to start my sports career here, I feel very patriotic to compete under the Greek flag.

It’s great that I can give back to the country that gave me the opportunities I had.

Since equestrianism does not have many sportsmen and women, I always realize the pride that the whole country feels when a good result is achieved “said Ioli.

He knows that in Greece horse riding is not very popular in terms of the participation of sportsmen and women, but it really creates “the proximity of the hopping community”he felt “family”, something that, as he says, he enjoys.

“I hope that my career path will inspire the younger generation to follow their dreams and believe that they are possible with hard work and dedication.

The issue is not the popularity of the sport in Greece, but the faith of the people who share it. They lack the confidence to fight for their dreams, possibly due to the fact that they have not seen many athletes fly the country’s flag at a high level. Because of that, I look forward to continuing to prove that it can be done!”