Molly Mooney Selected to Represent Australia at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games

Equestrian Australia is pleased to announce that Molly Mooney has been selected to represent Australia in Jumping at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, to be held in Dakar, Senegal, later this year.

The final stage of the selection process took place at the Youth Olympic Games Final Selection Trial at Bimbadeen Park, where four outstanding young athletes demonstrated their skill, adaptability and horsemanship in an assessment designed to replicate the unique borrowed horse format of the Youth Olympic Games.

Congratulations to all four athletes selected to attend the Final Selection Trial:

• Eliza Baird
• Kaylee Stephens
• Malikah Rudge
• Molly Mooney

Being selected as one of the four finalists is a significant achievement and reflects the consistently high standard of performances each athlete demonstrated throughout the qualification period.

Equestrian Australia extends its sincere thanks to Shane and Nikki Rose for generously hosting the Final Selection Trial at Bimbadeen Park and for providing exceptional facilities, horses and support. Their generosity and commitment to the development of Australia's young athletes played a vital role in the success of the event.

Over two days, each athlete rode four different horses, allowing the National Jumping Selectors to assess their adaptability, horsemanship, communication and ability to produce quality performances across a range of horses. Following this assessment, Molly Mooney was selected to represent Australia at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

The Youth Olympic Games feature one of the most unique formats in equestrian sport, with athletes competing on borrowed horses allocated by the Organising Committee. Success requires exceptional horsemanship, adaptability and partnership skills, making selection to represent Australia a remarkable achievement.

Congratulations to Molly on her selection. We wish her every success as she prepares to represent Australia on the world stage in Dakar later this year.