Yann Candele Looking to Feed off Caledon crowd
July 01 2015, Bolton Toyota
The eyes of the equestrian world will be on Caledon this month as the Pan American Games officially kicks off July 11. One local resident, in particular, is hoping home field advantage puts his performance - and Team Canada - over the top.
Caledon is the home of Yann Candele, an elite equestrian athlete and four-time Canadian Show Jumping Champion. Named to the Canadian Team in June, Candele has competed on numerous Nation
s' Cup teams. For Pan Am, he'll be riding Showgirl, a 15-year-old chestnut mare he rode at last year's Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games where he competed with fellow Canadian stalwarts, Ian Millar of Perth and Eric Lamaze of Schomberg.
Candele is excited to make his Pam Am Games debut at the hometown Caledon Pan Am Equestrian Park. "To be able to represent both Canada and Caledon at the Pan American Games is an honour", said Candele, 44. "To jump in front of family and friends will be a very special moment." The top two countries in the final team standings will earn 2016 Olympic bids.
Show Jumping events take place during the final week of the Games, with the 2-round team competition on July 23. Let's all get out there to cheer on Yann, ensuring home field advantage pushes all of Team Canada to the top of the podium.