All that glitters is German

On the third day of vaulting competition in Bern (SUI), Germany gave their all and were handsomely rewarded.

The first medals of the FEI Vaulting World Championships were presented in the Squad competition in one of the best ever finals. The Swiss squad were eye-catching and crammed everything into their routine, it was a pleasure to watch and won them the Bronze medal (8.267). The French went big on dismounts and individuality, but it was only enough for the Silver medal, 8.556, as the team from Germany combined high level intricate moves with a near perfect performance to take the gold medal and World title once again, aboard Ecuador 28 with Alexandra Knauf lunging (8.677).

Germany dominated the Senior Pas de Deux, due to a series of unfortunate events for the Italian pairing, Rebecca Greggio and Davide Zanella. They overbalanced in the build up to a very difficult move and fell from the horse, unable to recover their routine and their score, they are sadly out of contention. Diana Harwardt and Peter Kϋnne (GER) showed their skill and won the round with 8.666. They are ahead of compatriots Gisa Sternberg and Linda Otten (8.329). Currently sitting in third are Swiss duo Zoe Maruccio and Syra Schmid. With 8.263, they are on track to win their first FEI medal if they perform another solid round. 

FEI European Championship for Juniors and Young Vaulters

In an incredibly impressive and expressive class of Junior Males, Sam dos Santos (NED) now has a commanding lead. He showed impeccable body control throughout his Free Test, winning round one on a total score of 8.458. The German youngster Lukas Heitmann scored only a fraction behind the Dutchman today. His dramatic and flexible program boosted him into Silver medal position overnight (8.208). Jakub Roguski dropped one place, into third, after a penalty for exceeding the time limit. His first-round score is 8.157 and he is looking likely to receive a medal for Poland. 

There was a change at the top of the Female Young Vaulter leaderboard after the Technical tests. Despite performing well executed routines, the three Swiss contenders couldn’t find themselves in the top three. Mona Pavetic (GER) stole the lead from teammate Gianna Ronca. Pavetic was fluid throughout her performance and earned top exercise scores (8.292). She leads Ronca by only 0.2. The two girls, competing on Max lunged by Sarah Krauss, will go head-to-head in Sunday’s final. Slovakia’s Sara Solteszova showed a tidy test earning the third best score of the day and propelling her into third (8.042).

Arne Heers held his gold medal position for Germany in the Male Young Vaulter division. With a confident Technical program, he has extended his lead over the rest of the men (8.127). Tom Menand (FRA) was gentle and creative and keeps hold of second in the overnight rankings (7.896) just ahead of Germany’s Ben Lechtenberg who has crept closer to the silver medal (7.863). Austrian, Paul Ruttkovsky has put himself in a good position to potentially land on the podium on Sunday. He is fourth currently with a score of 7.838.

Germany’s Junior Squad, Fredenbeck blew everyone away in the Free test. With absolute precision and attention to detail they captivated the audience scoring a huge 8.654 and are absolutely running away ahead of the rest of the competition (7.801). The squad from Switzerland had some small errors leaving them in second place, 7.397, and Italy have improved their interim position, pulling up into third place after a creative freestyle (7.389).

The final Junior class of the day saw the first medals of the FEI European Championships awarded. The Junior Pas de Deux took to the stage and performed much better than the day before. There was no change at the top and Great Britain achieved their first junior medal since 2013 with Milly and Evie Jessett claiming the Bronze (7.967). First and second place went to Germany. Felix Wöhe and Mia Bury won the round today and the Silver medal (8.120) but they couldn’t catch Arne Heers and Mia Bury who took home the Gold (8.307).

The Post Finance Arena is proving to be a top-class venue for Vaulting competition, and the horses are excelling under the energetic atmosphere created by the vaulting fans. More medals will be on offer tomorrow in what is sure to be another nail-biting day of competition.

FULL RESULTS