1. Home
2. Sports
3. Equestrianism: Jad el-Dana Soars in Ocala and Scores a Historic Victory for Lebanon

Lebanese rider Jad el-Dana won the prestigious CSI4* Grand Prix in Ocala, Florida, this weekend, triumphing brilliantly against high-level international competition. This victory brings Lebanon into the exclusive circle of show jumping's elite nations.  

Lebanon achieved one of its finest sporting moments of the year—9,354 kilometers away from Beirut.

Lebanon at the Top of a CSI4

In Ocala, at the legendary World Equestrian Center, in front of packed stands and an audience hanging on every bar, Jad el-Dana flew the Lebanese flag high by winning the $185,000 Florida Coast Equipment CSI4* Grand Prix. Riding his trusty Itchcock des Dames—a ten-year-old Belgian Saddle, a cross between Marius Claudius and Unième des Dames—the Lebanese rider flew through both rounds without a fault, completing the jump-off in 39.56 seconds. The result: first place on the podium, $61,050 in prize money, and the admiration of a paddock accustomed to great performances.

A Victory of Courage, Flair, and Speed

The course designed by Irishman Alan Wade put the 25 pairs from 12 nations to the test. With tight times, tricky triple combinations, and technical lines, only five riders managed to secure their place in the jump-off. Among them were Australia's Lauren Balcomb, Argentina's Luis Pedro Biraben, the US's Tanner Korotkin, Brazil's Gabriel Matos Machado... and Jad el-Dana, the sole representative of a Lebanon that is more ambitious than ever.

“I was seventh to go, and there had already been a clear round, so I knew others would follow. The time was tight, and mistakes were everywhere. The triple was demanding, and the doubles were quite tricky,” el-Dana said afterwards.

In the jump-off, Balcomb put the pressure on with a time of 41.40 seconds despite a fault. Then it was the Lebanese rider's turn. "At the start, we stumbled a little on the first obstacle. I had to adapt my plan along the way. I thought I had lost time, so I gave it my all at the end. In the final stretch, most riders took nine strides, but I chose to take eight. I said to myself: I want this victory, I'm going to take it," he recounted. And he took it, with panache.

Jad el-Dana, the Standard-Bearer of Lebanese Show Jumping

El-Dana's success goes beyond the sporting arena. Based in the United States for several years and trained in the best facilities, he embodies the rising generation of Lebanese equestrian sport. Still unknown to the general public until recently, he has now achieved his first victory in a CSI4* Grand Prix – a historic, symbolic, and inspiring performance. Few Lebanese riders have even competed at this level.

“I can't believe it. I wouldn't say I didn't expect it at all, but I didn't really think I would win. Now that it's done, I'm over the moon,” he confessed, still emotional.

Paris in His Sights?

This performance in Ocala is no flash in the pan. It opens up new possibilities: the CSI5* circuit, world championships, and why not the Olympics? Lebanon, often overshadowed by the great equestrian nations, can now dream bigger. Thanks to talents like el-Dana, supported by committed partners, the dream is no longer so far away.

In Ocala, the American temple of show jumping, Jad el-Dana did not just win a Grand Prix. He put Lebanon on the world show jumping map. He rode Itchcock like a master, took on the best, and won over the crowds. But above all, he embodied, on horseback and with his head held high, the Lebanon that millions of Lebanese hope for, demand, and desperately want to see again: a free, modern, sovereign Lebanon, free from dusty dogmas, outdated Arab causes, empty slogans, and the parties that have shackled it for too long. He had no Kalashnikov, no turban, no grandiloquent speeches: just a horse, talent, and a flag that he raised to the top with the strength of his reins. That evening, a certain idea of Lebanon triumphed. And it is no mirage. A victory of pride, precision, and hope. Lebanon can be proud. And the horse world has taken good note of it.