In the year 2025 full of hopes and challenges, exciting news came from SUIS Gubei. Dora Yao, our brilliant student of our school, has successfully joined the Chinese Equestrian Team with her excellent performance and persistent efforts in the field of equestrianism. This is undoubtedly a significant milestone in Dora’s personal equestrian career and also the pride of all the teachers and students at SUIS Gubei.
Being selected for the national team means that Dora will step onto a higher competitive stage, represent the country to compete with the world’s top riders. It is not only a high recognition of her superb riding skills but also the best reward for her years of hard training. For the school, Dora’s selection is a powerful testament to our educational philosophy and achievements, inspiring every SUIS Gubei student to bravely pursue their dreams, challenge themselves and strive for excellence.
Brilliant Student: Review of Glorious Achievements
Dora is currently in Grade 10 at SUIS Gubei. She has been studying at SUIS Hongqiao since Grade 1. She is a national first-class athlete in equestrianism and a national second-class athlete in figure skating. Since she started participating in national equestrian competitions in 2022, she has maintained a perfect winning record in dressage events hosted by the Chinese Equestrian Association. She has won numerous awards, including:
- Champion for the Junior Group in the National Equestrian Dressage Youth Championship in 2024 and 2022
- Dressage team Champion at the 1st Youth Games of the People’s Republic of China in 2023
- Champion of the Individual Event of the Junior Group in the National Equestrian Dressage Youth Cup in 2024 (in Wuxi and Hangzhou)
- Champion of the Individual Event of the Junior Group in the National Equestrian Dressage Youth Champions Cup in 2022 (in Wuxi and the Finals)
- She won two gold medals in the Dressage Middle School Group at the 16th Shanghai Sports Games in 2022, as well as many championships in the Shanghai Dressage Youth Equestrian Championship and multiple championships in Shanghai Dressage Tournaments.
International Journey: Shining on the World Stage
In pursuit of a higher level in equestrianism, Dora took advantage of her holidays to go to Germany for training. In Germany, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to high-intensity training, communicated and competed with the world’s top riders, absorbed advanced training concepts and techniques, and continuously improved her riding skills.
The Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake in the lunar calendar was the second Spring Festival that Dora spent in Germany. Although the winter in Germany was cold and gloomy without any festive atmosphere for the Spring Festival, the continuous progress in dressage inspired her a lot. On the second day of the lunar New Year of the Snake, Dora participated in the Spring Tournament held at the PSI Ankum Event Center in Germany. When competing with a group of Grand Prix riders, she won the sixth place and stood on the podium with world-class riders such as the new World Cup champion and the third-place finisher of the previous German Championship. As the only Chinese among more than 200 dressage riders in this competition, Dora was very proud. This competition was not only a major breakthrough in her personal equestrian career but also showed the world the rise and progress of Chinese equestrianism.
At the end of 2024, Dora was named the Annual Outstanding Youth Rider (Dressage) by the Chinese Equestrian Association. Congratulations to her again on winning this honor.
Balanced Development: Balancing Academics and Hobbies
At SUIS Gubei, Dora is not only a star on the equestrian field but also an outstanding student with excellent academic performance. She has excellent grades in biology and chemistry. With her solid knowledge reserve, she won the global silver medal in the British Biology Olympiad (IBO) in 2024. She also successfully advanced in the Global Round of the HOSA Biology Competition (Nutrition) in the United States in 2024.
These achievements are not accidental. Dora’s ability to achieve a perfect balance between equestrian training and academics is due to her scientific time management and strong self-motivation. She knows well that both equestrianism and academics require full dedication. On the training ground, she cooperates tacitly with horses and focuses on refining every movement. In the classroom, she immerses herself in the ocean of knowledge. The perseverance, concentration and teamwork spirit cultivated by equestrian training have in turn promoted her academic progress, and her love for biology has also provided strong support for her development in the equestrian field.
Gratitude and Outlook: A Promising Future
感恩与展望：未来可期
Facing this hard-won honor, Dora is full of gratitude. She said emotionally, “I’m extremely honored and proud to be selected for the equestrian national team. This is not only my personal honor but also the result of the joint efforts of the school, coaches and the team. Thanks to SUIS Gubei for providing me with a broad development platform, allowing me to pursue my equestrian dream while also making progress in academics. Thanks to my coach Li Yu’ang for your careful guidance and strict requirements, which have enabled me to continuously break through myself in equestrian skills. Thanks to my family and friends for giving me endless support and encouragement during my training and competitions.”
Congratulations again to Dora on joining the equestrian national team! Now, she is actively preparing for the China Games to be held this year. Let’s look forward to Dora continuing to shine brightly in future events such as the National Games, the Asian Games and the Olympic Games, creating more glories, winning honor for the motherland and bring glory to our alma mater!
