On November 20, the capital of Bahrain welcomed the 2018 FEI Awards Ceremony, acknowledging since 2009 the contribution of personalities and organizations in their progress in equestrian sports – both indoor and outdoor. On this occasion, French eventing rider Victor Levecque was presented the Longines Rising Star Award - rewarding athletes between the ages of 14 and 21 who demonstrate outstanding equestrian sporting talent - by Vice President of Longines and Head of International Marketing, Juan-Carlos Capelli. To acknowledge his promising career, the young athlete was presented with a Longines watch.
In 2012, Victor Levecque becomes Pony French Champion, winning the first title of his prize list that will keep growing over the years. The next year he joins the French Team and takes part in his first European Championships, where he wins two medals, team silver and individual bronze. 2014 marks a first turning point in his young career, finishing his Pony years with three gold medals in the European and French Championships. In 2018, Victor Levecque and his horse Phunambule des Auges win three gold medals in Young Riders category; team and individual gold medallist in the Longines FEI European Championships in July, and French Championship winners of the category a few weeks later. At the age of 20, Longines Rising Star Victor Levecque has already won ten European medals and five French Champion titles.
Longines attaches great importance to encouraging youngsters to practice sports. The brand supports young athletes through programs linked with sports and the values that it upholds, including the Longines Rising Ski Stars prize offered to the best woman athlete under the age of 21 and male athlete under 23 taking part in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, the Longines Future Ski Champions competition for athletes under 16, the Longines Future Racing Stars open to young jockeys at the Prix de Diane Longines, and the Longines Rising Star, presented this Tuesday in Manama.
1869: Longines’ first equestrian watch
The 2018 FEI Awards Ceremony was also the occasion for Longines to express its long-lasting connection with the equestrian world. During the Gala, the brand presented a silver pocket watch from 1869, with a horse head engraved on the back, tracing the relationship between the brand and the equestrian world back to the first years of the Longines’ Company in Saint-Imier.
