Dutch deliver their second team Jumping championship title in thrilling final at Caen

By Louise Parkes

The Netherlands took their second world Jumping championship team title in style today at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy. They benefitted from the lead they established in yesterday’s round to narrowly pip the host nation of France at the end of a nail-biting contest, while the USA took bronze.

Germany missed out on a podium placing by just 0.1 of a penalty point when finishing fourth and Sweden snatched the last of the five Olympic qualifying spots on offer when lining up sixth behind Brazil. The team representing the country that will play host in two years’ time is automatically qualified for Rio 2016, but this afternoon the Brazilians showed that they are likely to be a force to be reckoned with when the world arrives on their doorstep.

Today however was all about the Dutch, who previously scooped the world team title at Aachen (GER) in 2006. And two of the riders from that victorious side - Jeroen Dubbeldam and Gerco Schroder - once again played a pivotal role in the history-making result.

No walk in the park

It was no walk in the park however, as three of the four Dutch team-members faulted this afternoon. The man who actually clinched the title for them was Jur Vrieling, who produced one of just 14 clear rounds over another of Frederic Cottier’s fantastic courses. Lying ninth and 10^th, Colombia and Ukraine disappeared from the reckoning, but the remaining eight teams were locked in combat for both the championship medals and Olympic places. 

The Dutch didn’t get off to the perfect start when Dubbeldam’s Zenith SFN kicked out the middle element of the triple combination, which saw plenty of action throughout the day. Team-mate, Maikel van der Vleuten, made it all the way to the final oxer with VDL Groep Verdi only to leave that on the floor.

The line from the opening vertical to the Land Rover oxer at fence two proved the bogey of the competition as, time after time, riders curved around the final element of the triple combination on the approach to the second fence only to kick out the front pole. In all, 10 of the 57 starters left this one on the floor, which didn’t give them the best start to their tour of the 13-fence track.

Triple combination

The vertical at three was followed by an oxer at four and another vertical at five before riders swung right-handed to an oxer at six, followed by the Alltech triple combination. This vertical to oxer to vertical challenge jumped really well in the early stages of the competition, with five clears from the first tranche of riders who were battling it out for individual placings. 

Second to go, Austria’s Stefanie Bistan and Bogegaardens Apollonia produced a copybook run and Morocco’s Abdelkebir Ouaddar and Quickly de Kreisker followed suit, but only nine of the team riders conquered both the course and the clock, and the time-allowed of 80 seconds proved difficult for many to get.

The oxer at eight was followed by a vertical at nine and then a long run down to a flimsy vertical over water at 10. Then it was right-handed to a double of verticals, before turning back towards the arena entrance over the Eiffel Tower vertical and the final oxer, which celebrated the emblematic Normande cow.

Lead changing regularly

It was nip-and-tuck all the way, with the lead changing regularly and no clear confirmation of the medal placings until the closing stages.

Lying in silver medal position overnight, America’s McLain Ward (Rothchild), Kent Farrington (Voyeur) and Lucy Davis (Barron) all faulted just once, but anchor rider Beezie Madden saved the day with a spectacular clear from Cortes C that pulled them right back into contention.

Germany also only produced only a single clear round. Lying in bronze medal spot, it was looking really good for the defending world champions when Christian Ahlmann led the way with a fault-free run from Codex One, but Marcus Ehning’s Cornado NRW sliced through the penultimate vertical, Daniel Deusser’s Cornet D’Amour clipped the middle element of the triple combination and Ludger Beerbaum’s Chiara fell victim to the oxer at fence two, so they had to add eight faults to their running score line.  

Meanwhile the fourth-placed French, determined to put on the best possible show in front of their home crowd, battled gamely and clears from Penelope Leprevost (Flora de Mariposa) and Kevin Staut (Reveur de Hurtebise) saw them overtake the Americans and push the Germans down to fourth when all they had to add was one of the four faults from pathfinder Simon Delestre (Qlassic Bois Margot) and anchorman Patrice Delaveau (Orient Express HDC).  

For the second day in a row the Brazilians were really impressive when also having to add only four to their tally because both their young star, Marlon Zanotelli (AD Clouwni), and 1998 individual world Jumping champion Rodrigo Pessoa (Status) kept a clean sheet.

Rolf-Goran Bengtsson’s clear with Casall ASK meant that all the Swedish team had to add was a total of five faults to claim the final slot for Rio, but it was heart-break for the Irish. They fought valiantly but, lying seventh, remained there when forced to also add five despite a superb clear from Denis Lynch and All Star. The Canadians meanwhile lined up eighth with a final score of 31.00.

Intensity

German team manager, Otto Becker, said he was “very, very disappointed” with his team’s fourth place. “We came here looking for Olympic qualification, but we also wanted a medal. All our riders did a good job and the horses were in brilliant form. We were well-prepared so it was sad to miss the medal, especially by such a tiny margin.”