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“Like any athlete, I always dreamed about participating at the Olympics – it's one of the main pinnacles of our sport. But saying that, I would never put my own ambitions ahead of my horses’ welfare in the case that they were not 100% ready to embark on such a challenge,” Greece’s Ioli Mytilineou tells WoSJ.

The 26-year-old has secured a spot for Greece at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris by placing second on the FEI Olympic Ranking Group C – making showjumping history for her nation. “From the very beginning, I was adamant that I would put my horses’ wellbeing first throughout the whole process. My trainer Sean Crooks and I made a plan almost as if it was any other season; we didn't change much from the system that has served us well up until that point. I simply tried my best to be on form at specific shows and make each class count. If that landed me a qualification, then amazing, but if it didn't, then at least I would have been proud of the way we approached it.”  

In Greece, Ioli’s qualification has been huge news – made more special by the fact that her mother Hannah Mytilineou is an Olympian as well; she took part at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. “I didn't realise how big of an impact this qualification would have on a country like Greece,” Ioli tells. “Although in 2004 we took part as the host country with each rider having their personal qualification, this is the first time a Greek showjumping athlete has officially qualified the country for any Olympics, therefore making history. Having this huge reaction and support from the entire nation is a massive boost and spurs me on to perform not only for myself and my team, but for the whole country. It makes me even more eager to optimise this opportunity to make everyone proud in Paris.” 

Currently ranked 89th on the Longines Ranking, Mytilineou stole the hearts of the public at the 2021 European Championship in Riesenbeck with her charming stallion Levis de Muze (Elvis Ter Putte x Tinka’s Boy, bred by Danny Boelens). The year after, she represented Greece at the World Championship in Herning, and in 2023, she took part at the European Championship in Milan – on both occasions with the now 13-year-old L’Artiste De Toxandria (Toulon x Kashmir van Schuttershof, bred by Karel and Werner Sebrechts-Dierckx). 

I want to prove that I should be there and that I didn’t just happen to stumble across a qualification

After Riesenbeck, Herning and Milan, Paris would be Ioli’s fourth major championship. “I suppose I in some way know the feelings that I’m expecting to feel and the emotions that I'll go through,” she says. “However, it doesn't matter how many times I've done it, each time I've been to a championship, I've felt like it's my first. Every time, I’m trying to prove myself in a way, not necessarily to other people, but to myself. I want to prove that I should be there and that I didn’t just happen to stumble across a qualification.”

“I went through a bit of a mental blip myself towards the end of last year, where as soon as I had an inkling the qualification was likely to be secured, I suddenly wanted everything to be better,” she continues. “In theory, that should be a positive outlook, however, I started altering and changing my system and the way I approached things. Having changed a lot, instead of improving, things began to go worse. This forced me to take a step back and think about everything. I had to believe in myself and my system and the fact that I know my horses so well. Of course, they can always be better, but we have had good results and been successful in the past, so I needed to remind myself to not change what I do, but just make what I do better. I started trying to be something that I wasn't, and ultimately, I don't know how to be something or someone else, I only know how to be me. Being the best version of me is what will bring long-term success, not the version of me that I think I should be. It took me a bit of time to realise and work through, but I'm lucky it took me a month or two as opposed to six.”

When it comes to horsepower, Ioli has two options for Paris in her championship rides Levis de Muze and L’Artiste de Toxandria. “I am incredibly fortunate to have two incredible horses that could be contenders,” she explains. “And one is not better than the other. I've got a positive feeling about both and want to have them feeling as physically strong and mentally confident as possible.”

They both mean the absolute world to me, with a love that is irreplaceable

“At the end of the day, I'm going to choose the horse that I feel is most prepared in every way to approach a championship. Even though for an individual it is just – hopefully – two rounds with a jump-off, it's still a championship and whichever one I feel is in the right headspace to be able to take on that challenge, will be my choice. Especially with Levis, when he's mentally at his best, he can do anything in the world and I feel like I owe to him to take that into consideration. He has done so much for me, for my career and for all of us in our team, that if I have any doubt that it could be too much for him mentally, I would not put him in that position. His mind is his greatest tool, yet also his enemy, and so he needs to be able to use it advantageously.”

“Levis is in general very consistent in what he does and so in order to obtain consistently good results, he was probably the safer bet,” Ioli tells about the process of getting the points needed to qualify during the 2023-season. “With L’Artiste, we tried to aim for fewer Grand Prix classes, but those with the AA ranking points. These are likely to be stronger Grand Prix’s in terms of height, width and technicality, with their points being bigger when placed. In the end, of course you need to qualify, but you also need a healthy horse for the actual event you’ve qualified for, which in this case is the Olympics. I do not feel that I excessively pushed either of mine in the process, as I was very aware not to burn them out. I simply wanted to be consistent and hope that was enough to get me there.”

I simply wanted to be consistent and hope that was enough to get me there

“I like to establish a unique relationship with all of my horses and I believe that it has helped me succeed,” Ioli continues. “I would say my bond is probably a bit different with each of them. I see L’Artiste as more of a best friend, we kind of go together and just get on with it, whereas Levis is more like my child that I nurture. It's a bit of a different feeling, and for sure it plays a big role that Levis is, in my opinion, one of the best horses in the world. From the ease of his jump, to his perfect confirmation, to the power of his mind, he has it all. Honestly, he's a little bit bubble wrapped, more so emotionally than physically. However, they both mean the absolute world to me, with a love that is irreplaceable. I also wouldn't say my relationship is stronger with one over the other, just different. For me, the relationship and positive mentality me and my horses have is our biggest asset.” 

“I never want to make the assumption that it will be me that is chosen until it is officially announced,” Ioli points out about the fact that even though she secured the qualification for Greece, who will be flying the flag in Paris is yet to be decided. “Taking into consideration that I could be the representative, my strategy is to start off the year jumping both of my Olympic potentials in small classes, getting back into the rhythm of jumping without the pressure of the height and/or difficulty. I want to focus on the basics of rideability, confidence and straightness etc. before starting with the bigger shows. This season, I’m on the Madrid in Motion Global Champions League-team and Eric van der Vleuten, who's our team manager, is very flexible and willing to allow us athletes to make our own best plan, especially with the Olympics in mind. There are a few GCL shows that I have planned to do before Paris, to get back to jumping big tracks, and then just before the Olympics, I'll drop them back down again, as I have found this keeps them happy and positive.”

It can be challenging to make a plan when you are unsure of where you will and won’t get an invitation to

“For a rider like myself, the GCL circuit is actually very beneficial,” Ioli continues to speak about the difficulty of making a good plan as a rider ranked under the top 30 on the Longines Ranking. “While I would not want to do them all, it is great to be given the opportunity to pick and choose a few, which gives me the chance to jump at five-star shows. It's getting difficult to get into shows, and myself being a rider without a team for the Nations Cup-shows makes it even more challenging to earn the points that would contribute to being higher up. You can get a wild card here and there, but you're not going to get too many. It can be challenging to make a plan when you are unsure of where you will and won’t get an invitation to.”

“Everybody wants to jump at the Olympics, but there is a huge step in between wanting to jump and if you actually should jump,” Ioli reflects on the importance of the Olympic Games, the changes made to the format and how the future within the Olympic family looks like for the sport. 

Everybody wants to jump at the Olympics, but there is a huge step in between wanting to jump and if you actually should jump

“Even one of the top 20 in the world can fall off on day one – anything can happen in our sport – but there's an obvious difference between an athlete that's capable and experienced, and one that is not. Changing the format to jumping less if you’re an individual – I understand it's less strenuous on the horses – does, in my opinion, slightly take away from the prestige of a traditional championship. An individual champion is thought to be one that has to be consistent over a substantial number of rounds, whereas now as an individual you're technically jumping a demanding Grand Prix – in essence as at any tough show. Team riders could potentially say that sole individuals might have a better chance because their horses are going to be fresher, but then on the flipside, there are horses that benefit from having been in the arena and get better the more they jump. In the end, everyone's in the same position; on a bad day you're out, but on a good day you’re an Olympic champion.”

“It would be a real shame if equestrian sports were removed from the Olympic family,” Ioli continues. “By trying to accommodate a larger quantity of nations, the FEI have opened the door to athletes who are less capable. Making those adjustments to the rules, thinking that it would benefit the sport, might have actually hindered it. The sad thing is that our sport is slowly starting to develop a poor reputation for reasons that it shouldn't, an example being the modern pentathlon. It is a totally different sport and not a realistic representation of what ours actually is, but the general public, without understanding the depth and true reality of our sport, put all equestrians under the same umbrella; all they see are a horse and a rider.” 

“I wouldn't say that we directly work together; we're based in the same place, but we're quite individual – primarily because I'm very particular with how I want to do things,” Ioli explains about her daily life, being based in Belgium together with her mother. “But of course, sharing this moment of qualification with my mum, who I'm so close to and spend so much time with, was special and she is happier than anyone. She's been by my side the whole way – and so has my dad, but from afar. My mum has seen the whole process from up close and is over the moon. She says she wants me to go and do what she didn't. Mum calls herself an Olympic survivor, so hopefully I can represent my family and country and be a contender, not just a survivor. It feels very special for both of us to compete at the Olympics in the same sport, 20 years apart.” 

It feels very special for both of us to compete at the Olympics in the same sport, 20 years apart

“I want to deliver,” Ioli says about her personal expectations for Paris. “I go through phases where I'm just happy that I've qualified and where I want to do really well. For my entire life, all I've wanted to do is go to the Olympics, and now I possibly have the opportunity. In that respect, theoretically qualification should be enough, but then you start thinking about the next goal and you get hungry… I want to go there and get to the final – and say I get into the final, I then for sure want to be in the top ten. We're humans, we're never satisfied, we always want more. However, for better or for worse, I'm a realistic person; I will try my very best, but everybody knows that the competition will be fierce. I think either of my horses deserve to be up there and if there's anything I can do to help that be the case, you can be sure I'll do it.” 

20.2.2024 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.