Olympian Toni Leviste has qualified both of her horses in the dressage competition of the 20th Asian Games that will be held at the JRA Equestrian Park in Tokyo from 19 September to 4 October.

Leviste’s horses — Lacoste 126 and Fanto — both achieved the required Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MERs) International Equestrian Federation (FEI)-recognized international competitions in Europe, powered by their strong showings at CDI Brno in the Czech Republic and CDI Kronberg in Germany last month.

Under the FEI rules, each horse-and-rider combination must independently achieve a minimum qualifying score of 62 percent in FEI-recognized CDI competitions under international judging panels.

If the Equestrian Association of the Philippines make its final nod on 15 July, Leviste will make her fifth Asian Games stint and her first in the dressage event.

The 52-year-old Leviste made her Asian Games debut in 1998 when Thailand hosted the prestigious continental meet. Then, she won a silver medal in the show jumping event along with Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski in the 2002 edition in Busan, South Korea.

Aside from her Asian Games exploits, Leviste has competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, appeared in multiple FEI World Championships, and the FEI World Cup Jumping Finals before shifting her focus to dressage in 2023.

With her preparations now in full swing, Leviste looks forward to once again carrying the Philippine flag with pride on the international stage, a privilege she said she will never take for granted.

"Representing the Philippines has always been one of the greatest privileges of my life. Qualifying both Lacoste, my partner in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, and Fanto, a horse rescued from the war in Ukraine, for the Asian Games makes this achievement especially meaningful," said Leviste, adding that Fanto, an 11-year-old German Warmblood gelding, was rescued from Ukraine when the stable where he had been kept was destroyed during a bombing in 2024.

"I am deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey, and I now look forward to continuing our preparations and proudly representing our country once again."