17-year-old Katerina Coello rode into the history books – and straight to the top of the standings – as she competed for The Bahamas in Category C of the 2025 FEI Jumping World Challenge, the first FEI-recognized event to be held in The Bahamas. Competitions 1 and 2 of the three-part Challenge were held this weekend at Moonstone Stables. Each competition consisted of two grueling rounds with 10-13 obstacles, at fence heights ranging from 1.0-1.10 m. The courses were designed by FEI Course Designers Marina Azevedo of Brazil, Cristina Larangeiro of Portugal, and Erica Sportiello of Brazil.
Katerina piloted Nadim Nsouli’s Whiterock Duggie in a near-perfect performance, riding four clear rounds with no jumping faults and no time faults, and clocking 57.40 seconds and 59.18 seconds in the speed rounds of each competition, well under the 69 seconds time allowed. As a result, the pair not only made history for The Bahamas but also took the lead in the Category C Zone 10 standing of the 2025 FEI World Challenge, displacing Abby Bardgett of Bermuda who previously held the top score.
Led by Heidi Mello (BER), President of the Ground Jury, the team of FEI officials congratulated Katerina for her achievement and praised Equestrian Bahamas Federation for the accomplishment of staging the FEI Jumping World Challenge.
The aim of the FEI World Challenge series is to offer athletes who, under normal circumstances, cannot take part in international competitions due to various factors such as travel costs and distances. The Challenge series gives local riders the opportunity to compete internationally without having to leave their own country. Individual and team rankings for the FEI World Challenges are posted at the end of the calendar year. Competition 3 will take place on 6 December 2025.
