Simon Delestre


Simon Delestre is a French equestrian. His specialty is show jumping, either individually or as part of a team. Delestre ranks thirty-seventh on the FEI Rolex Ranking List.

Personal life

Simon Delestre was born 21 June 1981 in Metz, France, the son of Marcel Delestre. His father, a former international rider, got Delestre interested in equestrianism at a young age. Delestre tried many sports as a child, but a pony named Panama du Cassou HN gave him a taste for riding.
Delestre's stables are located in the structure of his parents Marcel and Magalis' home in Solgne.
Recently when asked if he had any hobbies, Delestre said "No time for that."

Career

After obtaining a Bachelor of Science in 1999, Delestre was crowned the gold medalist at the France Junior Championships and continued that year to win bronze as part of a team in the European Junior Championships. The following year he won the gold medal with his team at the European Championship for Young Riders. Delestre then continued his career in both Pro and Pro Elite races, as well as international events such as the Nations Cup, CSI-5*, and the World Cup Circuit.
In 2011, Delestre was selected to be a reserve rider at the European Championships in Madrid, Spain, where the French team has won three silver medals. The same year, Delestre managed to qualify for the World Cup Final in Leipzig, Germany, where he ranked sixteenth with Couletto. At the end of 2011, Delestre manages to be in the Top Ten of the FEI Rolex Ranking List, allowing him to participate in the Final Top Ten IJRC of Paris. For that race, he finished eighth on Napoli du Ry. Delestre participated in two World Cup finals, where he got tenth in Stuttgart and fourth in Zurich. However, he failed to qualify for the finals in Hertogensbosch, Netherlands.
Delestre qualified for the 2012 London Olympics on Napoli du Ry, where his coach was Henk Nooren. He finished nineteenth in the individual jumping finals and was part of the French team for team jumping, which came in twelfth.
Delestre is perhaps best known for his prowess in the Mediterranean Games, where he has won two gold medals and one silver, both as part of a team and individually.

Placements