Prime draw for Team Sweden as Jumping gets underway…..

Mexico’s Federico Fernandez will be first into the arena when the Agria FEI Jumping World Championship 2022 gets underway at the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark tomorrow. The horses were trotted up yesterday in front of the Ground Jury, and today with their riders onboard they familiarised themselves with the Stutteri Ask Stadium where spectacular sport will play out over the coming days.

A total of 103 athletes, including individuals, will go to post, and the order-of-go for the 22 nations fielding teams will be as follows:

1, Mexico; 2, Spain; 3, Ireland; 4, Belgium; 5, Australia; 6, Germany; 7, The Netherlands; 8, Colombia; 9, Norway; 10, Great Britain; 11, France; 12, Brazil; 13, Italy; 14, Canada; 15, Israel; 16, Austria; 17, Argentina: 18, Switzerland; 19, Japan; 20, Denmark; 21, USA; 22, Sweden.

Despite being drawn 15th, Team Israel’s first rider, Robin Muhr, will be 44th to go because there are only three team-members in the Israeli side.

Prime draw

It’s a prime draw for the reigning Olympic champions from Sweden, with Jens Fredricrison who finished third at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Leipzig (GER) four months ago first into the ring for them in starting spot number 25, while his brother, Peder who is currently number three in the world rankings, last to go on the opening day.

Peder’s Tokyo team-mate Malin Baryard-Johnsson is drawn 52nd while Henrik von Eckermann, who moved into the the world number one slot last week for the first time in his sparkling career will go 81st.

That promotion to the number one spot is a great confidence-booster according to the Swedish star. “I’m really looking forward to this week, these Championships only come around every four years and competing in them is something very special”, von Eckermann says.

Some Facts and figures:

Stutteri Ask (MCH) football stadium capacity - 10,000 seated spectators and a large VIP lounge.

Herning 2022 hosts the 20th edition of the FEI Individual Jumping World Championship and the 12th edition of the FEI Team Jumping Championship.

USA took the team title in Tryon (USA) four years ago. Two athletes and one horse from that winning side are in the US team again. The riders are Adrienne Sternlicht and McLain Ward and the horse is Sternlicht’s Cristalline.

Sweden claimed team silver in 2018 and three members of that team are lining out again this year - Henrik von Eckermann, Malin Baryard-Johnsson and Peder Fredricson.

These three clinched team gold for Sweden at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games last summer.

Germany’s Simone Blum claimed the 2018 Individual title with DSP Alice but is not competing at the 2022 Championships. However both the 2018 Individual silver and Individual bronze medallists, Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs and Steve Guerdat, will be in action.

The Swiss are reigning European team champions and German team member, Andre Thieme, is reigning European individual champion.

How it will play out…

The team competition will be decided over three days, maximum four team members with the best three scores taken into account.

All teams will compete in a Speed competition on Wednesday 10 August and again in the first round of the second competition (Table A not against the clock) on Thursday 11 August. The best 10 nations will qualify for the second round of the second competition which will take place on Friday 12 August with the possibility of a jump-off for medals in case of a tie.

After a rest day on Saturday the Individual championship will take place on Sunday August 14, open to the 25 best placed athletes and horses after the first and second competitions. Two rounds of jumping over two different courses with the top 12 coming back for the second round and the possibility of a jump-off for medals in case of a tie.

Tomorrow’s first competition begins at 11.00 local time, so don’t miss a hoofbeat….

Starting Order here