21-year-old Jamie Hocking will become the first Australian to compete at the invitation-only FEI Vaulting World Cup in Paris this weekend.

Hocking, who hails from the Barossa Valley in South Australia, will take on high-class rivals from across the globe for the title of FEI World Cup Individual Male Vaulting Champion at the Salon du Cheval de Paris.

In preparation for a tilt at the prestigious title, he has been training in Denmark under the guidance of his medal-winning coach Lasse Kristensen.

It will be the 27th time that he has represented Australia on the world stage. Remarkably, at the age of just 13 he represented his country for the first time at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky and since then has competed in France, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia, Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

“I think it’s quite a special honour to be the first person to represent Australia in the Cup series. It means the hard work I have put in and those around me have is starting to pay off,” said Hocking.

He will compete with a horse called French Kiss and remains realistic about his chances at the event.

“My horse and I still have a long way to go but I have the chance to learn some valuable things and maybe help other Australian vaulters to achieve their goals.”

The event begins today, (December 2) in Paris and we wish him all the very best of luck.

READ THE LATEST NEWS ARTICLES HERE