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They came, they saw, they conquered. Some of the world’s most experienced and decorated Para Dressage athletes took to the stunning Baji Koen arena today for the first competitions and medals of the Equestrian Events at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Emotions were running high, as were temperatures, but everyone kept their cool for the first individual medals up for grabs in Grades II, IV and V – and the all-important qualification for the top eight ranked athletes in each Grade earning their spot in the Individual Freestyle to Music test which takes place on Monday 30 August.
Sir Lee Pearson, the world’s most decorated equestrian Paralympian, does it again…
In an emotion packed first day of competition, Sir Lee Pearson (GBR) collected his 12th Paralympic gold medal at his sixth Paralympic appearance since 2000 at the Baji Koen Equestrian Park, winning the Grade II Individual Test.
Lee rode his home-reared Breezer to the title with a score of 76.265% to finish ahead of Pepo Puch (AUT), who rode Sailor's Blue to score 73.441%. These two highly experienced athletes are used to tussling for the top spot, with Pepo claiming Individual gold in Rio ahead of Pearson and vice versa for the Freestyle medals.
Georgia Wilson (GBR) picked up a fairy tale of a bronze medal on Sakura, with 72.765%. She was the team’s reserve rider and was called to the Paralympic Games just two weeks ago, when her teammate Sophie Christiansen was forced to withdraw due to a veterinary issue with her horse.
Speaking after his ride, Lee said “I am very, very emotional. I cried on the second X on hold in the arena. It’s been such a long journey. Breezer is a horse who I’ve had since he was born. I am also a Dad myself now, and that has also made me more emotional.
“I didn’t think having a home-bred horse would give this a little extra meaning but it has. I saw him at hours old in a field and to complete that test, which at my last test event I did not complete, that added to the emotion.”
Sanne gets the missing gold
There was more emotion on display when Sanne Voets (NED) won the Grade IV Individual Test, the one gold medal missing from her collection of European, World and Paralympic titles.
Sanne scored 76.585% on Demantur N.O.P, which was the highest score of the day, while Rodolpho Riskalla (BRA) took the silver medal on Don Henrico with 74.659%. Belgium’s Manon Claeys marked her Paralympic debut with a bronze medal, scoring 72.853% on San Dior 2.
“I think my face pretty much told it,” said Sanne. “I'm just over the moon with him. He still amazes me every day and he travelled here well. When you enter the stable and you see he's happy, relaxed and at ease, you realise again that’s what is most important.
“Of course you're here to perform at your very best and you want to win medals, but there's always one thing more important than the result, and that's just your horse being happy.
“But when you are sitting on a horse like that, there's no way you cannot smile and not enjoy your test.”
Seventh heaven for Michele George
The last medal of the night went to Michele George, in just her seventh competition with Best of 8. She scored 76.524% to finish ahead of Sophie Wells (GBR) who rode her reserve horse, Don Cara .M to an impressive 74.405% in his first ever overseas competition. Frank Hosmar (NED) took the bronze on Alphaville N.O.P., with 73.405%.
Michele wore the gloves and boots she wore at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games at which she won the Grade V Freestyle, with a silver in the Individual Test, on the late FBW Rainman.
“I'm really proud of my mare and I enjoyed the ride,” she said. “And this is for me the most important thing, that I could come home and say I've done everything I could. She had a beautiful performance and she gave her best. Best of 8 gave her best!
“She did great half passes and I think she had a very nice extended canter as well. So it's amazing. I can't find the right words to express how impressive it was for me. It is a once in a lifetime experience.”
More medals up for grabs
At the end of day one of the competition, Great Britain top the Para Dressage medal table with one gold, one silver, and a bronze, with The Netherlands and Belgium close behind on one gold and a bronze each.
There are a total of 11 sets of medals being contested at the Para Equestrian Events of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games across the five Grades – five Individual, five Freestyle to Music and one overall team medal.
Tomorrow will see the Grades I and III Individual Test medals decided. Roxanne Trunnell, the world Number One in Grade I and across all five Grades will be aiming for her first Paralympic title, while in Grade III look out for a real tussle for the medals between the likes of Natasha Baker (GBR), Tobias Thorning Jorgensen (DEN), Rixt van der Horst (NED) and Rebecca Hart (USA).
Milan in Italy has been confirmed as the host city for the FEI European Championship in the Olympic discipline of Jumping for 2023.
The allocation to the Italian city was confirmed during the FEI Board teleconference held on 23 August 2021. The exact dates in early September 2023 are to be confirmed in due course and will be listed in the FEI Calendar 2023 once approved by the FEI Secretary General.
The Championship will be hosted in the Snai San Siro Racecourse, one of the most prestigious and state-of-the-art horse racing venues in the world located in the heart of the city.
“We are thrilled to have this important Championship allocated to Milan, a hub for horse enthusiasts, and home to the unique Snai San Siro Racecourse which combines tradition and modernity and is the perfect setting to welcome Europe’s finest equestrian partnerships. These Championships will have a long lasting impact on the entire region and we will work closely with the Organisers and the FEI over the next two years to ensure the FEI Jumping European Championship 2023 delivers an iconic and unforgettable platform for the sport to shine.” Simone Perillo, FISE Secretary General said.
Prior to the allocation of the European Championship, the Snai San Siro Racecourse has been undergoing renovations to make this a premier event destination and multipurpose Equestrian Center. The new permanent arena is hosting CSI 3* and 4* events throughout 2021 and 2022, including the Milano San Siro Jumping Cup which took centre stage in July 2021 and was hailed a resounding success. Currently, there is seating for approximately 8,000 individuals in the historical racecourse grandstands, and an additional temporary 10,000 seats are set to be built for the Championship.
“We are delighted to have the Italian city of Milan hosting the European Championship in Jumping in 2023”, Marco Fusté, FEI Director Jumping said.
“The Organising Committee are a very focussed group of people who are determined to deliver the best edition ever of the European Jumping Championship. We are looking forward to working closely together to stage this prestigious event, which will be hosted in the heart of Milan just a few hundred meters away from the iconic San Siro Football stadium in the San Siro hippodrome”.
TOKYO 2020 PARALYMPIC GAMES
Tokyo (JPN), 25 August 2021
Photo Caption: Japan's Grade IV athlete Katsuji Takashima and his horse Huzette pose for a selfie after the Para Dressage horse inspection at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (FEI/Liz Gregg)
On the 25th anniversary of the introduction of Para Dressage in the Paralympic Games, the field of 77 athletes from 26 countries in Tokyo promises to be the most competitive yet.
Expect to see fierce competition in the arena as reigning champions go head-to-head to defend their titles, while newcomers and seasoned campaigners look to upset the odds and take their place on the podium.
The Equestrian Park at Baji Koen will be the focus of fantastic sporting performances, finesse and artistry over five days of competition. The athletes are not just here to look pretty in the arena, they’re here to get the gold medals they want so desperately.
And everyone has their eye on the top prize in the Team competition, which will see 15 nations compete for the honours. Great Britain have been the title holders since the competition started at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta 1996. And, while they remain a strong contender at Tokyo 2020, they face their toughest challenge yet from the Netherlands and Team USA.
The Netherlands come into Tokyo 2020 as the current World and European champions and it’s no secret that they are keen to add the Paralympic title to that roster. Fielding a team full of individual World and European champions, they remain a hot tip to do just that.
Team USA currently top the FEI Para Dressage Paralympic Team Ranking and their charge for gold will be led by overall individual world number one, Roxanne Trunnell. Building on strong performances at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 in Tryon (USA), the team has since developed into a Para Dressage powerhouse with high hopes for Tokyo 2020.
Paralympic Games always have an element of surprise and, with just three athlete/horse combinations, team results could turn on the smallest of margins. With Germany, Denmark, Australia, and Belgium in the mix too, it is difficult to predict the outcome.
There are five Grades that make up the Para Dressage competition, with Grade I athletes having the most impairment, and Grade V the least. Grade I athletes compete at walk only, Grade II at trot, and Grade III and above can canter.
While Grade I should be dominated by Roxanne Trunnell, she faces stiff competition from World and European medallists, including current double World champion Sara Morganti (ITA). Singapore’s most decorated Paralympian, Laurentia Tan, will want to add to her medal collection, and World number two, Rihards Snikus (LAT), is due a Paralympic podium finish too. Look out for the current European champion, Jens Lasse Dokkan (NOR), who is the only Para Dressage athlete to have competed at every Games since Atlanta 1996.
Lee Pearson (GBR) and Pepo Puch (AUT) went head-to-head for medals at the Paralympic Games in Rio 2016 and constantly tussle for the top spot whenever they compete together. Puch is currently the World number one in Grade II, with Pearson third. Extra frisson has been added to this competition with the last-minute inclusion of Great Britain’s Georgia Wilson. Ranked second in the World in the Grade and the athlete who famously beat Puch for the Freestyle title at the FEI European Championships 2019 – her first major competition - she was called up to the British team following the withdrawal of Grade I athlete Sophie Christiansen.
It’s going to be a tight tussle at the top in Grade III, which includes Rio 2016 Individual, Freestyle and Team gold medallist Natasha Baker (GBR), as well as Rixt van der Horst (NED), who won Individual, Team and Freestyle gold medals at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 in Tryon (USA). Joining them will be Tobias Thorning Joergensen (DEN), who took Individual and Freestyle gold at the FEI European Championship 2019 in Rotterdam, and is currently ranked number one in the Grade III Para Dressage World Individual Ranking. Also included in the mix is Rebecca Hart (USA), the world number two in this Grade, as well as Emma Booth (AUS), and van der Horst’s teammate and Paralympic debutant, Maud De Reu (NED).
Grade IV could prove to be the hottest ticket at the Para Dressage competition, as Sanne Voets (NED) bids to add Paralympic gold to her European and World titles. Riding the brilliant Demantur N.O.P., Voets has come out of the pandemic year looking stronger and more confident than ever. However, Rodolpho Riskalla (BRA), runner-up to Voets in the Individual and Freestyle Tests at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018, will be hot on her heels. They will face competition from Kate Shoemaker (USA), who picked up a Freestyle bronze in Tryon 2018.
In Grade V, Michèle George (BEL) will be looking to add to the Freestyle and Individual gold medals from London 2012 and Freestyle gold in Rio 2016. Her country’s flagbearer at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games’ Opening Ceremony, she is here in Japan with a new horse, Best of 8.
For many years now, the Grade V has been dominated by George, Sophie Wells (GBR), and Frank Hosmar (NED). The trio will be vying for a place on the podium again this week, but will need to look out for the likes of Regine Mispelkamp (GER), Natalia Martianova (RPC), and George’s teammate Kevin Van Ham (BEL).
Competition gets underway on Thursday 26 August and runs to Monday 30 August. The forecast is for hot weather, and hot competition too.
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About Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) www.fei.org
The FEI is the world governing body for horse sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was founded in 1921. Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic movement since the 1912 Games in Stockholm.
The FEI is the sole controlling authority for all international events in the Olympic sports of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, as well as Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining.
The FEI became one of the first international sports governing bodies to govern and regulate global para sport alongside its seven able-bodied disciplines when Para Dressage joined its ranks in 2006. The FEI now governs all international competitions for Para Dressage and Para Driving.
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The FEI has welcomed the start of the WeThe15 campaign, which aspires to be the biggest ever human rights movement to represent the world’s 1.2 billion persons with disabilities.
Launched ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, WeThe15 aims to end discrimination towards persons with disabilities and act as a global movement publicly campaigning for disability visibility, accessibility, and inclusion.
Spearheaded by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and International Disability Alliance (IDA), the campaign aims to initiate change for the world’s largest marginalised group who make up 15% of the global population. The WeThe15 symbol is intended to represent a world where persons with disabilities are no longer marginalised.
“Para Sports, like Para Equestrian, have shown the world that a disability is only disabling when it prevents someone from doing what they really want to do,” FEI Secretary General and President of the Association of Paralympic Sports Organisations (APSO) Sabrina Ibáñez said.
“While sporting events like the Paralympics have the power to show the world just how much Para Athletes can achieve, there is a real need to shed light on the challenges that some of them face as they go about their daily lives. A change of social attitude towards people with disabilities is very much required if we are to tear down the barriers that currently prevent them from contributing fully to their communities.
“The WeThe15 campaign has paved the way for this change to happen. And it is encouraging to see the level of international support that the campaign has received to date and the long term commitment of all involved to addressing the needs of people with disabilities around the world.”
Para Equestrian sport is a unique form of physical activity involving two finely-tuned partners, the athlete and the horse.
In 2006, the FEI took the decision to bring Para Equestrian under its umbrella making it one of the first International Federations to govern and regulate sport for both able-bodied athletes and athletes with impairments. The sport has grown steadily since then, and has seen greater levels of participation, as well as an increase in the number of international competitions and nations participating in the Paralympic Games.
The Para Dressage events at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo will take place from 26 to 30 August 2021.
Quality performances were the order of the day at the FEI European Championships for Ponies 2021 in Strzegom, Poland where France claimed Team and Individual gold in both Eventing and Jumping, and Germany dominated the Dressage podium.
Dressage
A partnership that set the quality standard from the very start was Germany’s Rose Oatley and the fabulous 11-year-old palomino gelding Daddy Moon. In a week when they simply shone they took triple gold and posted two new world record scores, the first in the Team Championship where they led their side to victory when earning a mark of 82.629, and the second in yesterday’s Freestyle when they were rewarded with 89.700 for a spectacular demonstration of grace, concentration and quiet togetherness.
They were joined by Antonia Roth (Daily Pleasure WE), Julie Sofie Schmitz-Heinen (Carleo Go) and Antonia Busch-Kuffner (Kastanienholf Cockney Cracker) to clinch Wednesday’s team title on a final tally of 236.172. Denmark’s Sophia Boje Obel Jorgensen (Adriano B), Cornelia Munch Sinding (Terbofens Charico), Karla Marillo Skov (Steendieks Diamond de Dali) and Selma Ludvigsen (Egelykkes Perfetto) posted 221.714 for silver. And the Netherlands were close behind in bronze, Ilse de Wilde (Falco), Jill Kempes (Next Black Magic), Veerle Van Hof (Vinkenhove Xander) and Bridget Lock (Don Davino Horsepoint) putting a final score of 218.428 on the board.
Italy just missed out on a podium placing and Belgium, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, France, Finland, Czech Republic and Ukraine lined up behind them in that order.
Challenged
In Friday’s Individual medal decider 14-year-old Oatley, whose mother Kristy Oatley has competed for Australia at four Olympic Games, challenged the world record score set by German compatriot Lucie-Anouk Baumgurtel and Nasdaq at last year’s European Pony Championships in Hungary, falling short by just 0.081 when scoring 82.270 for gold. Team-mate Roth took the silver with 81.027 and bronze went to Denmark’s Jorgensen on 79.676.
“I can’t really describe what happened today. I’m overwhelmed with my feelings. My pony was just amazing in the test and I can’t believe that we are now the European champions!”, Oatley said afterwards. But there was even more to come.
Because yesterday the podium placings were exactly the same in the Freestyle, but the scores were even more sensational, with four pony/athlete combinations earning over 80% and Oatley leading the way once again with that 89.700 which blew the previous world record of 85.825 set by Great Britain’s Phoebe Peters and SL Lucci in 2015 completely out of the water.
Roth’s silver-medal-winning score was 85.090 and Jorgensen’s 83.050 took the bronze, while Germany’s Schitz-Heinen just missed out on a podium placing despite a super mark of 82.810.
Eventing
The Eventing Championship was another thriller in which France took a strong hold from the start and never let go.
Mae Rinaldi topped the individual rankings after a brilliant dressage test for a score of 23.2 with Boston du Verdon, and she would go on to take the Individual title while also leading the French team to glorious gold.
Her team-mates Mathieu Cuomo (Celeste du Montier) and Zoe Ballot (Voltair de Lalande) were lying third and sixth after the first phase on marks of 26.4 and 28.1 respectively, so France went into cross-country day ahead of Germany in second and Ireland in third place. And the cross-country phase saw many changes to the leaderboard as the 24-fence challenge really tested rider skills from start to finish. In all there were 10 eliminations on course from a starting field of 46.
The combination fence at 11 proved particularly influential in the early stages as riders struggled to find their line to the second element. So when that news was brought back, many opted for the longer route here as the day progressed. Zoe Ballot’s tour of the track was exemplary, the addition of 4.4 time penalties still moving her up a place to fifth overnight. But compatriot Mathieu Cuomo suffered a very different fate.
Lying third with his pony, Celeste du Montier, he was still flying when coming down to the penultimate double of bush fences. But a slip on the bending line to the second element saw the little stallion unable to take off again, and the resultant 20 penalties and time may well have robbed this 14-year-old rider of his chance of an Individual medal placing.
Contrast
In contrast, fourth French team-member, Valentin Quittet Eslan who was lying 35th with Winnetou as the day began, rocketed all the way up to tenth when producing a superb clear within the time of 6minutes 37seconds. The 15-year-old Dutch-bred Winnetou is a perfect example of a wonderful pony that has served many different riders over the years, in 2019 helping Team France to European silver with Lilou Ducastaing in the saddle.
So at the end of the day the French were still in the lead on 96.4 with Germany’s Ella Kreuger (Golden Grove Simon), Pita Schmid (Sietlands Catrina), Marie Hoffmann (Penny Lane WE) and May Marie Fernandez (Maruto) less than five penalty points behind. And the Irish were still still in bronze medal position when Ted O’Leary (Rockon Pedro), Caoimhe Crozier (Kildromin Banjo), Sarah Keane (Lon Mac Liomhtha) and Ben Connors (Cornafest Fred) finished with 116.3 on the board.
As the final Jumping phase began Connors and his Connemara gelding were lying in silver medal spot on their dressage score of 30.3, just 0.1 ahead of The Netherlands’ Sophie Weening and her brave and bold Hip Hop who raced around the cross-country track the previous day pulling hard all the way and clearly enjoying every moment of it. Mae Rinaldi still held the lead with her French stallion Boston du Verdon despite the addition of 5.2 cross-country time penalties, but on a score of 28.3 couldn’t afford a jumping error if she was to grab Individual gold. So when the leading trio all held firm in the Jumping arena yesterday the Individual podium places remained unchanged, and France claimed team gold on a final tally of 104.4 with Germany in silver on 114 and Ireland in bronze on 132.3.
Rinaldi was delighted with both her result and her brilliant pony. “I’m very happy with my individual victory, but also for the whole team. It’s a dream come true. Boston is a great pony, he is amazing in all three phases…and I love him!”, said the new European champion.
Jumping
And the French proved unstoppable again in the Jumping Championship.
Anna Szarzewski (Vaughann de Vuzit), Lola Brionne (Clementine), Nohlan Vallat (Daenerys D’Hurl’Vent), Jeanne Hirel (Vedouz de Nestin) and Marie Ann Sullivan (Ken Van Orchid) had gold all sewn up when collecting just eight faults in the team competition. But it came down to a two-way tussle for silver and bronze when The Netherlands and Norway were tied on 13.
Sharp clears against the clock from Siebe Leemans (Voodstock de L’Astree), Ava Eden Van Grunsven (Special Lady) and Milan Morssinkhof (Carrick 13) sealed silver for the Dutch side that also included Logan Flechter (Minerva For Play) and Renske Van Middndorp (Jolly). When Thea Gunleksen (Parc Cookie) and Mikkel Fredin Nilsen (Attyrory Warrior) each had a fence down the Norwegian side that also included Dina Nicolaysen (Electra), Rasmus Aasland (Poetics Floura) and Oda Therese Oddsen (Javas Alun) withdrew and settled for the bronze.
After his team’s victory, French Chef d’Equipe Olivier Bost said, “the course design was perfect. I was stressed because we had very strong teams here from Ireland, Germany and Great Britain and I think today’s course was difficult, especially because the riders were under a lot of pressure. But in the end I’m a very lucky man!”
And he had even more luck yesterday when Hirel and Sullivan claimed Individual gold and silver ahead of The Netherlands’ Leemans in bronze.
Pressure
As it came down to the closing stages the pressure was intense and for the final few it was still all to play for. Leemans and Voodstock de L’Astree jumped double clear to remain on just the four faults they collected in the team competition and when Norway’s Thea Gunleksen and Parc Cookie did the same that left them on level pegging.
Laure Tijskens and Navayo were third-last into the ring but the Belgian National Champion had a stop that put them out of contention and now only the French pair, Sullivan and Hirel, were left to go.
Sullivan was carrying three time faults picked up earlier in the week but she left all the poles in place once again so Hirel had little room for manoeuvre. A couple of time faults wouldn’t matter but a fence down would be disastrous. Holding her nerve however the 15-year-old rider brought Vedouz de Nestin home clear, and as she galloped through the finish she dropped her reins and punched the air with delight. It was a superb feat to finish without a single fault after five super-tough rounds of jumping over tracks up to 1.35m in height.
It wasn’t quite done yet, because that left Leemans and Gunleksen in a head-to-head to decide the bronze, and although the Norwegian produced the quickest time in 38.83 seconds it was at the expense of a pole down, so Leemans’ clear in 41.40 would see him stand on the third step of the medal podium.
The FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) 2021, formerly the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, continues to evolve. After a year hiatus, the prestigious event returned with a new location in Traverse City, MI as well as a new category in the Pre-Junior Championship. But the abundance of talent remained the same.
The USA’s Zone 4—made up of riders hailing from the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and South Carolina—dominated jumping competition, claiming three of the four team Championships, while the American west coast shined brightest in dressage.
Children
The Children’s category of Jumping made its debut when this event was last held in 2019, and the division has grown, with Mexico sending forward two teams for the first time. Mexico North and Mexico South would take up two-thirds of the team podium, but both would fall just short of USA’s Zone 8/9/10.
The pressure was on anchor rider Reagan Tomb (Elba), who needed to produce a clear effort to secure a victory. Tomb delivered, clinching the gold medal for teammates Lilah Nakatani (Dianett), Leila Diab (Unang de Kergane) and Jordan Gibbs (Douwe) on a collective score of just four faults.
“It was kind of a lot of pressure, because I didn’t know how I was going to win,” Tomb revealed. “After the last jump, I sat up super tall, and everyone started clapping and were all really happy.”
That left Mexico South and Mexico North—both on eight faults—to jump-off for the remaining medals, and Mexico South ultimately earned silver, with Mexico North bronze. However, Mexico would get its turn atop the podium in individual competition, with Jimena Carrillo Watanabe (First Time LS) of Mexico North emerging victorious from another jump-off.
At the conclusion of individual competition, six riders remarkably sat on perfect “0” scores. Carrilo Watanabe proved fastest in the tiebreaker, and all three individual medalists completed the competition without touching a pole. Lenir Alejandro Perez Facusse (Di Vadine) of Honduras received the silver medal, with Carrillo Watanabe’s teammate Alessandro Neumann Priess (Corlinus) finishing as the individual bronze medalist.
Pre-Junior
The addition of the Pre-Junior category to jumping competition further enhanced a gradual pipeline of rider progression in the sport in North America. With fences set up to 1.30m, the Pre-Junior division bridges the gap between Children’s (1.25m) and Junior (1.40m) competition.
The USA’s Zone 4 rallied for a come-from-behind victory, with teammates Mia Albelo (Cocominka EST), Caia Watridge (Iselle van Orshof), Trinity Beitler (Coconut) and Lawson Whitaker (Brownie and Cream) each producing at least one clear round for the team. The squad completed the final round of team competition without a single fault, which would comfortably propel them ahead of Mexico North and USA Zone 10, despite Mexico North solidly holding an early lead.
“All of them contributed to the team score, and it was very tight going into the last round today, and they pulled it out with three clears,” said Zone 4 Chef d’Equipe Kim Land. “It was really a huge team effort, and we’re so excited for them and the future of the sport because of them.”
“I’m very blessed and very honored to have this gold medal and to be on this team,” Whitaker added. “It’s really a dream come true.”
Zone 4’s Mia Albelo added a second gold medal with the individual title. Having won the opening qualifying competition, the 16-year-old rider entered the individual final on a flawless score. Albelo delivered under the utmost pressure, jumping yet another clear round aboard her 10-year-old mare Cocominka EST to clinch gold. Zone 10’s Caroline Mawhinney (Stella Levista) received the silver medal, with Xaviera Maurer Burch (Con Rouet) of Mexico North bronze.
“I’m so lucky to have come back today in the top spot,” Albelo said. “Going through those timers, keeping all the rails up was pretty emotional.”
Junior
Zone 4 jump-started a winning streak with another gold medal-worthy performance in Junior competition. The group of Hailey Royce (Sonic Boom), Ansgar Holtgers Jr. (Elina), Reid Arani (Ziezo) and Zayna Rizvi (Excellent) finished the team final impressively, with two rails in hand.
Called the “Zone 4 Dream Team” by Chef d’Equipe Kim Land, Holtgers, Jr. and Rizvi produced critical double-clear efforts for their teammates, which put Zone 4 on a total score of 10.15. Canada jumped onto the podium with the silver medal (20.62), while USA Zone 5/6 earned team bronze (27.48).
“I went last, so I had a lot of pressure on me, but I had faith in him, and he was so good, at every single jump,” Rizvi said of her mount.
“Words can’t describe this feeling,” Holtgers, Jr. added.
Proving the merit of Land’s words, Rizvi and Holtgers, Jr. went on to claim the top two individual medals of the competition. Rizvi and Excellent jumped to their second gold medal, finishing the competition on just 2.46 penalties. Holtgers, Jr. (Elina) took the silver, with Canada’s Lea Rucker (Evita) bronze.
A year hiatus did not change much for Region 4, who rode to a second consecutive title in the Junior team Dressage competition. With just three riders, the Region 4 squad did not have the luxury of a drop score, but it wasn’t needed, with sisters Kylee (Honor) and Lexie (Montagny von der Heide) Kment and Ella Fruchterman nearly five percentage points better than runners-up Region 7. USA Region 3 rounded out the podium.
“I am elated to see these girls up there, because it is the second year in a row that we’ve been atop the podium at NAYC,” said Nancy Gorton, who, alongside Ann Sushko, served as Chef d’Equipe for Region 4. “Region 4 has always been the underdog—we’re the flyover states—but I think that what we’re seeing is the dedication to the sport that’s been passed down over generations.”
The Kment sisters again shared the podium in the NAYC Junior Individual Championship, with Lexie and Kylee finishing first and second, respectively. The sisters were separated by just one percentage point. Kat Fuqua, who competed in both dressage and jumping at NAYC, received the bronze medal.
In her NAYC debut, Lexie Kment rode to a third gold medal by week’s end, topping the Junior Freestyle Championship with a score of 74.775 percent. Julia McDonald (Lehndorff van de Vogelzang) of Region 2 received the silver medal, while Fuqua claimed her third bronze medal of the week aboard her own Dreamgirl.
Young Rider
Zone 4 emphatically capped its week with a third gold medal in Young Rider competition. Erika Jacobson (Everton), Riley Delbecq (Julesraimus de Brisy), Violet Lindemann Barnett (Alanine de Vains) and Ashley Vogel (Bellissimo Z) brought their team from fourth to first with just a single rail and a time fault against them over the course of the two rounds of the team final.
Zone 2 would make it close, and while anchor rider Mimi Gochman (Celina BH) delivered with a double-clear performance, it wasn’t quite enough to overtake the lead. Zone 2 settled for silver, with Canada bronze.
“From the [opening] speed and today, through each round, they just got better and better,” Zone 4 Chef d’Equipe Kim Land said. “They moved up. They were fourth, then they were second, and then they won gold. I’m incredibly proud of them for their accomplishment.”
After riding to individual gold in the Junior championship two years ago, Gochman claimed her second individual title at NAYC, this time in the Young Rider Individual Championship aboard Celina BH. Gochman led from start to finish, completing the competition on a perfect “0” score. Mexico’s Daniel Rihan Goyeneche (Chousa Sho Z) and USA Zone 4’s Violet Lindemann Barnett (Alanine de Vains) completed the podium with individual silver and bronze, respectively.
“Jumping this many rounds is tough on any day, and it’s really important this week,” Gochman said. “I was super thrilled to continue to jump clear throughout the whole week.”
Region 7 received the gold medal in the Young Rider Dressage Team Championship with a dominant performance. Erin Nichols (Handsome Rob AR), Miki Yang (Donavan), Katherine Mathews (Soliére) and Christian Simonson (Zeaball Diawind) were so impressive, the team’s drop score was higher than two of the three scores on Region 1’s silver medal-winning squad.
It was much closer for the remaining medals, with less than two percentage points separating silver and bronze. USA Region 2 just edged Region 4, who received the bronze medal.
Simonson was also the individual champion—and the only rider to score above 70 percent in the competition. In the individual final, Simonson also rode to a personal best score of 75.353 percent. The 19-year-old has had the ride on Christina Morgan’s 9-year-old gelding for two years.
“When I was on the podium, I was thinking about the fact that the last time I rode the individual test at a NAYC, I was disqualified,” said Simonson, who trains with U.S. Olympian Adrienne Lyle. “Thinking about that and the fact that I’m here now with a different horse, one that we’ve brought up and shown step by step and I’ve been a part of the whole process—to be able to redeem myself in that individual test was an amazing feeling.”
Simonson’s successful week concluded with an exclamation point, as he rode to one last gold medal in the Young Rider Freestyle Championship. Simonson and Zeaball Diawind continued to bring their scores up, this time receiving a 78.935 percent from the judges—setting a new record for the highest score awarded in the FEI Young Rider Freestyle Test. The judge at B even awarded this pair an 81.375 percent. Region 1’s Allison Nemeth (Tiko) received the silver medal, finishing less than two-tenths of a percentage point ahead of bronze medalist Tillie Jones (Qi Gong TF) of Region 4.
View full results from NAYC here.
The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decision in an equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance.
In this case, the horse Feline X (FEI ID 106LV53/GBR), ridden by Pane Singh Amar Singh (FEI ID 10048234/UAE) and trained by Fadhl Manea Saleh Al Mathil (FEI ID 10110945/UAE), tested positive for the Banned Substance Atenolol, a beta blocker used for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and obstructive cardiac disease, following samples taken at the CEI1* 80 - Euston Park (GBR), on 16 June 2019.
Neither the athlete, nor the trainer were able to account for the positive findings in the horse’s sample. Therefore, in its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal disqualified the horse and athlete from the event, and imposed a two-year suspension on the athlete and the trainer. The period of the provisional suspension of both athlete and trainer, which came into effect on 26 August 2019, shall be credited against the period of ineligibility, meaning both will be ineligible until 25 August 2021. The athlete and trainer were also each fined CHF 7,500.
The parties can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the decision.
The full Decision is available here.
Gerit Matthesen, the well-known and greatly respected German veterinarian, sadly passed away on 5 August 2021 after a short illness. He was 66.
Gerit Matthesen was a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee from 2007 to 2011 and was also one of the original members of the FEI Hypersensitivity testing team. He was due to be on duty at the FEI World Cup™ Finals 2021 in Gothenburg (SWE), but was already unwell and the Finals were unfortunately cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
FEI Official Veterinarian since 2009, throughout his career, Matthesen officiated as FEI Veterinary Delegate at numerous FEI events and was German National Head FEI Veterinarian from 2015 – 2021.
“Gerit was a cherished member of the equestrian community, and particularly in the equine veterinary world”, FEI Veterinary Director Göran Akerström said. “He was a great mentor, a wonderful friend and he will be sorely missed.”
The FEI expresses its sincere condolences to Gerit Matthesen’s family and friends, the German Equestrian Federation (GER) and the global equestrian and veterinary communities.
It’s almost a century since Sweden last won Olympic Jumping Team gold, and when they did it tonight they did it with both style and grace.
A magnificent performance all week from Henrik von Eckermann with King Edward, Malin Baryard-Johnson and Indiana and Peder Fredricson with All In led to high expectations that this could be the night they would bring the ultimate honour back to their country for the first time in 97 years. But it wouldn’t be easy.
As the final competition played itself out it came down to a head-to-head with the feisty American threesome of Laura Kraut with Baloutinue, Jessica Springsteen with Don Juan van de Donhoeve and McLain Ward with Contagious, and they wouldn’t be handing anything over without a fight. The two sides completed today’s first round with eight faults apiece, and the battle lines were drawn.
Belgium was already assured of bronze when collecting 12 faults in the opening round. Team France looked set to be the biggest threat to all others when single time faults from both Simon Delestre and Berlux Z and Mathieu Billot with Quel Filou, in the opening round left them sitting pretty before Penelope Leprevost set off. But elimination at the third fence for Vancouver de Lanlore shattered the French dream of repeating the glory they enjoyed five years ago in Rio de Janeiro.
So Pieter Devos (Claire Z), Jerome Guery (Quel Homme de Hus) and Gregory Wathelet (Nevados S) could sit back in the knowledge that the third step of the podium would belong to Belgium, and the stage was set for one last roll of the dice for the Americans and Swedes.
Final showdown
With all three team members returning to the ring for the final showdown it was Kraut who led the way for the USA with her 11-year-old gelding, scorching through the finish in 41.33 seconds to set the pace. And although Sweden’s von Eckermann took a new route he was a little slower when breaking the beam in 42.00 seconds with King Edward who, sensationally, never lowered a single pole in five rounds of tough jumping this week.
Springsteen returned clear for USA in 42.95 seconds so when Baryard-Johnsson was quicker, crossing the line in 41.89, the Swedes already had a small advantage. But Ward was next to go, and shaving seconds off all those ahead of him he raced through the finish in 39.92 to really put it up to Swedish anchorman Fredricson.
But how cool is the man who took his second successive Individual silver medal, and with the same horse, just three days ago.
As he set off you could read the complete determination on Fredricson’s face. Did he feel the tension as he galloped down to the last fence, knowing what was hanging in the balance?
“Oh, the pressure was on!”, he admitted. “My god, in these situations when you have two teams like this you really want to win. McLain was fast, I saw his round and I knew what I had to do, and today the poles stayed up and the time was on my side!
“I had the speed and I gave him (All In) a lot of room. He’s in super shape, but I was really worried he would take the front pole with his hindlegs, but he came up!” he said after breaking the beam in an amazing 39.01 seconds to seal the victory.
In the end just 1.3 penalty points separated the two sides, but the joy in the aftermath for both teams was palpable. They’d been in a fair fight and the best side had won. No hard feelings, just delight in great sport played out between great opponents.
Enjoyed
Ward enjoyed every moment of it. “It was great to be in the battle!”, he said with a big smile. “Sweden’s win wasn’t unexpected here but they took it to another level, we would have had to have an incredible day to beat them. I think we pushed them right to the limit, and in competition when you push them to that limit and they still win you’ve got to be proud of the fight!”
“We just didn’t give up!”, agreed his team-mate Kraut. “It was hard-fought and Sweden were incredible all week, so if you’re going to lose you’re going to lose to them, and we can live with that!
Springsteen said, “it was wild, watching the last couple go, wondering if we would have to jump-off or not, you really got the jitters, but it was very exciting!”
But it was even more exciting for the new Olympic champions. There was no-one begrudging their success today. They won fair and square and they were immensely proud of their achievement.
“Yes it’s a dream come true - to win an Olympic gold medal I think that’s every athlete’s dream for sure!”, said Baryard-Johnsson. We’ve been so well prepared for everything at this championship, we’ve not missed out on anything, we have a team behind us that’s incredible. All of us, the way we’ve ridden shows how confident we’ve been and how they’ve all made it possible for us to totally focus on what to do in there. We knew it was very possible for a jump-off because it was only one round and we knew we didn’t want the silver medal this time!”, said the rider who was a member of the Swedish side that took Olympic team silver in Athens (GRE) 17 years ago.
More special
Von Eckermann just missed out in the Individual Final on Wednesday night when finishing fourth, “so that’s why it’s even more special tonight!”, he said. “It was a frustrating fourth place but I’m so happy that I pulled myself together and told myself to leave what I can’t change behind me and focus on this. No one can say we didn’t deserve it!”
And he added that there should be medals awarded to the horses as well as the riders. King Edward certainly deserved a medal having jumped through the entire week without ever dropping a pole.
Fredricson’s last round was the stuff of champions, and Ward, who has won plenty of accolades himself, acknowledged that. “He’s one of the best, and his record with that horse is spectacular. What horsemanship and what planning, and all the people around him. But he’s also been at the top of the sport with other mounts too which is testament to his riding, it’s not just one horse”, he said.
Typically modest, Fredricson was thoughtful when asked what tonight’s glorious victory meant to him.
“It’s unbelievably satisfying to get this gold. And my horse deserves it also for the way he jumped, I’m so happy for him and his owner and groom and the whole team and my team-mates. This is a great feeling!”, he said.
Facts and Figures:
Sweden last won Team gold at the Olympic Games in Paris in 1924 when the three-rider side consisted of Ake Thelning (Loke), Axel Stahle (Cecil) and Age Lundstrom (Anvers).
Sweden also won Olympic Team gold on home ground in Stockholm in 1912 and in Antwerp in 1920.
For tonight’s Final competition, two changes were made to the teams that competed in Friday’s Jumping Team Qualifier - Willem Greve and Zypria S stepped out of the Dutch team and Harrie Smolders stepped in with Bingo de Parc, while Rodrigo Pessoa and Carlito’s Way stepped out of the Brazilian team so Yuri Mansur and Alfons stepped in.
Final medal standings in Jumping:
Jumping Team: Gold - Sweden; Silver - USA; Bronze - Belgium.
Jumping Individual : Gold - Ben Maher (GBR), Explosion W; Silver - Peder Fredricson (SWE), All In; Bronze - Maikel van der Vleuten (NED), Beauville Z.
Quotes:
Ben Maher, Individual gold medallist, talking about Great Britain’s decision to withdraw from tonight’s competition after Holly Smith and Harry Charles collected 24 faults between them: “Holly and Harry are young riders, they’ve ridden incredibly tonight but unfortunately it hasn’t gone our way as a team. And Explosion’s welfare is paramount for me. I’m not a quitter on the team, I always push to the end but we’re an extremely long way off any medal contention and he’s done everything for Team GB and me as a rider this week and his welfare is a priority”.
Malin Baryard-Johnsson SWE, talking about her mare Indiana: “When she goes in a second time she’s always jumping better so I totally trust her, she made a tiny mistake in the first round and I was quite sure she wasn’t going to make another one the way she was jumping and the way she’s trying. She’s just incredible. It was up to me to make sure she was fast enough”.
Henrik von Eckermann SWE: “Somehow once we went to the jump-off we felt so prepared. We’d gone through every detail before and when Peder had the last fence down we said ok we have to see what happens then and everyone was very clear about what to do. Get on with it and don’t be second, whatever happens!
Results here
It was a tough day at the office for many of the nations competing in the Team Jumping Qualifier at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Baji Koen Equestrian Park today. But for Team Sweden it was just another walk in the park.
Since the action began on the first day of the Individual competition last Tuesday, Henrik von Eckermann’s King Edward, Malin Baryard-Johnsson’s Indiana and Peder Fredricson’s All In have not lowered a single pole.
Fredricson and the 15-year-old All In have an incredible record. They were faultless on their way to Individual silver at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and once again on their way to Individual silver here in Tokyo on Wednesday night.
It will be a whole new competition when the action resumes in tomorrow’s Team Final where the top-10 teams from tonight’s qualifier will battle it out once again, all starting on a zero score. But the Swedes look super-confident ahead of that showdown in which they will be challenged by Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, USA, France, Great Britain, Brazil and The Netherlands.
Dramatic exit
A number of countries made a dramatic exit, including Japan. Daisuke Fukushima and Chanyon, who finished Individually sixth, picked up eight faults when first to go for the host nation, but when Koki Saito and Chilensky were withdrawn that dashed their chances.
Then Irish pathfinder Shane Sweetnam and Alejandro fell at the water-tray vertical at fence 10. The grey gelding had been jumping erratically after paddling the first element of the triple combination at fence five. They left the arena unscathed, but Sweetnam was devastated for his team and for the horse who is normally so reliable.
“He’s an experienced horse, normally he’s very good but he pulled his shoe off going into the triple combination, I don’t know whether that hurt him but it definitely rattled him, and then after that you could see he was very unsettled and wasn’t like himself at all”, said the man who has long been a rock for the Irish side. But his team’s chances of a place in the Final were gone.
When the second rotation of riders got underway Israel’s Teddy Vlock took a fall at the previous liverpool oxer. His 11-year-old mare had already refused at the second fence and had two fences down along the way. Vlock was examined by medics after walking out of the arena and was cleared to go back to his hotel, but knowing that his country was now also out of the medal race.
Effortless ease
At the other end of the spectrum the Swedes were just waltzing home with effortless ease. “Our horses have been unbelievable!”, said Baryard-Johnsson. “I think we all have the same feeling that it felt quite easy every round in there - they are all jumping so well, every round!”
The Belgians and Germans also looked very comfortable, both completing with just four faults on the board all made up of time penalties. Gregory Wathelet was last to go for Belgium with Nevados S and felt he was in a comfort zone because his compatriots Pieter Devos with Claire Z and Jerome Guery with Quel Homme de Hus had only collected a single time penalty each. He added two more but didn’t feel under any pressure.
“I just had to go and see how my horse was feeling after the Individual Final because we all know tomorrow will be bigger like the (Individual) Final. It feels like he is fresh so I’m happy about that”, said the rider who finished ninth on Wednesday night.
Germany’s Maurice Tebbel and Don Diarado also picked up two time faults to add to the single faults collected by team-mates Andre Thieme with DSP Chakaria and Daniel Deusser with Killer Queen. Thieme had an interesting time in the arena and said afterwards, “I won’t win the prize for the most stylish round!”, but he was really proud of his 11-year-old mare.
Superstar
“She is a superstar and I’m not the only one thinking that. She is complete!”, he said. But that venue, those lights and jumps it’s maybe a bit early and too impressive for her because she’s young and green. But on the other hand if she goes through this she will learn something and everywhere else in the world it will be easy for her. I’m totally in love with this horse! She belongs to the family and she’s so special!”, he added.
Switzerland finished with 10 on the board, the USA with 13, the defending champions from France with 15, and Great Britain racked up 17. The final three teams to make the cut were Brazil who collected 25 faults, The Netherlands who picked up 26 and Argentina who finished with 27 and squeezed Egypt out of the top 10.
Also on the sidelines as the Final plays itself out tomorrow night will be the teams from China, Morocco, New Zealand, Czech Republic and Mexico.
It won’t be long before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team Jumping champions are crowned.
Facts and Figures:
Great Britain was heading the medal table with a total of 5 going into today’s Team Jumping Qualifier - so far they have won 2 in Eventing, 2 in Dressage and 1 in Jumping.
Germany has won four sets of medals to date, 1 in Eventing and 3 in Dressage.
19 teams of three riders started in this evening’s Olympic Jumping Team Qualifier.
France are defending Olympic team champions.
Quotes:
Shane Sweetnam IRL, talking about his round with Alejandro: "He’s jumped a lot of night classes, a lot under lights, and he started off settled tonight. I really think when he pulled the shoe he got rattled. After that he was just really, really nervous. It’s gutting. It’s my first time in the ring this week and it’s a hard one to swallow but this is the sport we’re in, and there are days that you are on top of the world and days you hit the bottom of the bucket.”
Ben Maher GBR, who won Individual gold on Wednesday night and who had just four faults in tonight’s competition with Explosion W: “I was happy, it was tough after the very fast round of jumping the other day and he gets more careful the faster he goes. It’s about giving him the confidence, maybe just there on the fault I left him a little bit on his own and I could have helped him a bit more but I was told by Scott Brash before I went in that we had a bit of a margin to make the team Final tomorrow and I could take it a little bit easier on Explosion and try to - sounds crazy at this level of competition - give him a bit of an easier round ,and if we make a mistake we still make the Final. It was enough, and tomorrow is a new day”.
McLain Ward USA, who posted five faults with Contagious. It was his first time in the arena at Baji Koen tonight. “We’ve been on ice for the better part of four weeks now, his last show was Rotterdam over a month ago, over the last 10 days I jumped eight or nine jumps so to come in and jump at this level is a real challenge. I had a lot of anxiety about it to be frank. But he was right there for me. I turned for home and maybe wanted to bring that nice score home and I didn’t fight as hard as I need to for that oxer (fence 12) but I knew what the situation was and I wanted to make sure there wasn’t going to be a major blunder.
When I originally got Contagious I didn’t think he was an Olympic horse but he’s proved us wrong in that today and he’s capable at this level. He always believed he could jump the big fences and he’s developed and he’s a trier and a fighter and I’m a trier and a fighter and I’m really proud of the horse and I feel we belong here.
Malin Baryard-Johnsson SWE, talking about her feisty mare Indiana: “I know her now many years and I’ve been through rounds better and worse riding wise, it took me a couple of years before I even felt safe on her, she was so difficult from the beginning. But we know each other so well and even when she’s at her worst to ride she always goes in and tries her hardest to jump the jumps. I can trust her and she really trusts me. So it’s more when she’s in her difficult way that it’s up to me to handle it. I just have to focus even more. I’ve said many times it’s good for my old brain because I really have to be sharp, anything can happen. It keeps me on my toes.
Results here
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