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2003
Pan American Games
Canadian Leslie Reid Wins Individual Gold at 2003
Pan American Games
August 11, 2003
 Santo
Domingo, Dominican Republic – Canada’s Leslie Reid captured
the individual gold medal in the equestrian sport of
dressage on Sunday at the 2003 Pan American Games. Mexico’s
Bernadette Pujals took the silver while Santo Domingo’s
own Yvonne Losos de Muñiz earned the individual bronze
in her first-ever Pan American Games competition.
Having celebrated a team silver medal win for Canada
on Thursday, Reid of Langley, BC, won all three phases
of the individual competition to claim the gold medal,
including the final leg, the Intermediaire Freestyle
to Music, where she earned a score of 76.25%. Reid’s
incredibly high marks gave her a total of 222.10 points
and allowed her to defeat her nearest competition, Pujals,
who finished with a score of 213.40, by almost nine
full points. A three-time veteran of Pan American Games
competition, Reid had previously won a team gold medal
at the 1991 Pan Am Games in Havana, Cuba.
“They say you are lucky if once in your lifetime you
have a horse like this to ride,” said Reid, who was
riding Mark, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding
owned by Marie Andrews, also of Langley, BC. “I am absolutely
ecstatic!”
With an outstanding Freestyle performance, Pujals moved
from third to second overall. Riding Vincent, her Hannoverian
stallion, the resident of Mexico City earned the individual
silver medal after leading the Mexican team to a bronze
medal earlier in the week’s competition.
“I was very nervous today, but I decided to just go
for it!” commented Pujals.
 Making
her Pan American Games debut in front of a hometown
crowd, Yvonne Losos de Muñiz won the individual bronze
medal. With Inatana Las Marismas, her 13-year-old Dutch
Warmblood mare, Losos de Muñiz proudly represented the
Dominican Republic and finished the three phases of
competition with a final score of 212 points. The 2003
Pan American Games mark the first time the Dominican
Republic has fielded a dressage team, and Losos de Muñiz’s
individual bronze is the first the Dominican Republic
has ever won in equestrian competition.
“For me, this bronze medal feels like ten medals!”
exclaimed Losos de Muñiz. “When we set out on the Pan
Am path three years ago, I had a goal of finishing in
the top 12. In the future, we’re going to try to improve
the quality of dressage in this country and improve
our results.”
Losos de Muñiz’s teammate, George Fernandez, 23, also
enjoyed a strong performance, finishing tenth overall
riding Joris Las Marismas.
The top five individual placings were captured by five
different nations. Dr. Cesar Parra, representing Colombia,
finished fourth overall riding his Hannoverian stallion
Pik L while United States competitor Jan Ebeling of
Moorpark, CA, was fifth overall riding Feleciano, an
eight-year-old Westphalian stallion. Of the original
43 horse starting field, only the top 15 qualified for
Sunday’s Individual Final.
Related Links
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Losos de Muniz Buys Joris as Pan Am Hopeful
Horsesdaily
Coverage of the 2003 Pan American Games
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