Dora Yao, 16, an IB Year 11 student at SUIS Gubei, has consistently excelled academically. In November 2025, she made history as the youngest dressage athlete at the 15th National Games in Shenzhen, composing a youth story with passion and tenacity.
Academic & Athletic Excellence: An All-Round Star
Dora’s “all-round resume” stands out: In Grade 9, she won the National Rookie of the Year Award in Nutrition at the HOSA Bio Competition and advanced to the global round; in Grade 10, she claimed silver medals at both the British Biology Olympiad (BBO) and International Biology Olympiad (IBO). On campus, she played clarinet and bass clarinet in the school band, joined the basketball and volleyball teams, and holds the title of National Second-Class Figure Skater.
In equestrian sports, Dora has trained under Coach Li Yu’ang of the Jiangsu Equestrian Team since 2021, practicing on weekends. In 2022, she swept two gold medals in the junior division at the Shanghai Municipal Games; from 2022 to 2024, she completed a “grand slam” in CEA junior events. Promoted to the youth division in 2024, she won four gold medals at the National Championship Cup in half a year and was named “CEA Outstanding Rider of the Year”. In 2025, she made her European debut, finishing sixth (69.479%) at the German ANKUM Spring Show, and was selected for the Chinese Equestrian National Team to prepare for the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games.
Dual Battle: Persistence on the Road to National Games
At the end of 2024, the age limit for equestrian events at the National Games was relaxed, and Dora seized the opportunity to join the Jiangsu Team for preparation. As a Grade 11 student, she embarked on a high-intensity schedule: every Thursday, she traveled over 200 kilometers by car between Shanghai and Jiangsu for training, and returned to school early the next morning; on weekends, she trained, took care of horses at the base, and interned at equine hospitals; she also studied during flights, breaks at the barn, and late nights in hotels.
During preparation, her main horse was injured accidentally two months before the Games, forcing Dora to quickly adapt to a new horse. With great perseverance, she worked closely with her team to refine their coordination and finally qualified for the finals. Meanwhile, SUIS teachers and classmates supported her fully, helping her balance academics—she performed well in her IBDP PP1 exams and scored 114 in TOEFL.
Youth Without Regret: The Dream Continues
Equestrian is the only Olympic sport where humans and animals compete together, and men and women compete side by side. At the National Games, Dora faced a 55-year-old veteran of 10 Games and many national champions. As the youngest participant with a “combined age” (rider + horse) of only 26, stepping onto the arena was a victory in itself.
In the end, she helped the Jiangsu Team finish 5th in the team event and ranked 15th individually. Her poise won cheers from the crowd, with fans coming to cheer her on. A photo of her waving to the audience was captured by Xinhua News Agency as a classic moment.
“We all gave our best. The unpredictability of competitive sports is both its cruelty and its greatest charm!” Dora said maturely in a post-match interview. This is her first National Games, and she will continue to strive for the Asian Games and Olympics, contributing youth power to China’s equestrian sports.
