GOLD AT LAST FOR EXELL by Cindy Timmer
Boyd Exell from Australia has been on the hunt for a gold medal in four-in-hand driving for many years and at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky it finally came together for him. After a World Record dressage test and third place in the marathon, Exell drove a safe cones course and won his first individual gold medal. Dutch driver IJsbrand Chardon took the silver; with the bronze going to USA’s Tucker Johnson. The Dutch team won the gold, ahead of the USA and Germany.
Drama-filled day
Today was another drama-filled day in the full Driving Stadium as there were problems with the timing system half-way through the competition. Team drivers Ludwig Weinmayr from Germany and USA’s Chester Weber had to leave the arena while the repairs were done. Weber was the first driver to go after the enforced break and the 35-year-old multiple US Champion showed his professionalism by driving the first double clear round of the day despite the long wait. His compatriot James Fairclough followed him and did the same to secure team silver for the USA.
Working hard
After watching Chardon’s dressage test, Exell thought he would have to fight for silver at the Kentucky Horse Park, but his horses clicked into gear in dressage in which he set a World Champion record score of 30.08. After the marathon Chardon piled even more pressure on Exell and the difference between the top drivers was only 1.72 penalty points. Chardon made Exell work very hard throughout the week and the professional coachman and horse trainer told himself every day that he had done a bad job in order to sharpen himself for the next day. After Chardon hit one ball in the cones course, Exell decided to drive safely. He crossed the finish line with a few time penalties, knowing that this would not endanger his gold medal.
No second thoughts
Tucker Johnson had one ball down, but this did not jeopardise his first ever-individual medal at a World Championship. Johnson was a member of the US pair team that won gold at the 1991 World Pairs Driving Championships in Zwettl and he contributed to the US silver team medal at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez 2002. Tucker was extremely pleased with his horses and his result and will now have more time for his family and his business. There was a clear ‘no’ when he was asked if he would not reconsider his decision to retire from combined driving after having won a medal.
Bad luck for Team Sweden
The Swedish team were in the bronze medal position after dressage and marathon with top drivers Tomas Eriksson and Fredrik Persson finishing second and eighth in the marathon. Persson was first to go and picked up just 0.56 time penalties. Tomas Eriksson was well on his way to secure their bronze medal, but the 1990 and 2000 World Champion took gate 19 from the wrong side, which eliminated him and the Swedish team from the competition. Thanks to the clear round of multiple German Champion Christoph Sandmann, the German team moved up to bronze.
FEI TV – As well as live competition coverage throughout the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, FEI TV will make all competitions available post-event via VoD, plus an exclusive daily 30-minute VoD highlights show from the Kentucky Horse Park featuring the best of the day’s action, interviews, previews and reviews. There will also be lots of behind the scenes footage available. Check out www.feitv.org.
Quotes:
Boyd Exell (AUS):
“IJsbrand and I have been competing neck-and-neck all season and it just depends on who is in best shape on the weekend to decide who wins. It is a great feeling to have won the gold, but I don’t really realize it yet. I enjoy working with horses and to be able to put the icing on the cake and win a World Championship is just fantastic.”
IJsbrand Chardon (NED):
“I was very disappointed when I found out I knocked a ball down. I had not seen it coming otherwise I could have corrected it. When I passed the finish line, I thought I was clear. I have given everything in dressage and marathon and today, my horses also went very well. It has been a weird Championship for me but I must admit that the best driver, Boyd Exell, has won this Championship.”
Tucker Johnson (USA):
“I have truly enjoyed competing at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky and it is wonderful to win a medal at last. I loved driving and being on the US team for 23 years and I loved hanging out with my trainer Michael Freund, but it is time to move on. It is good to end something with such a good experience.”
Audio Links: Boyd Exell (Aus) Individual Driving Gold http://www.lloydbell.co.uk/access/client_zone/WEG_Boyd_exell.mp3
Final individual standings:
1. Boyd Exell (AUS) 134.04
2. IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 135.24
3. Tucker Johnson (USA) 150.06
4. Christoph Sandmann (GER) 151.18
5. Koos de Ronde (NED) 156.56
6. Theo Timmerman (NED) 156.76
7. Daniel Würgler (SUI) 159.61
8. Fredrik Persson (SWE) 161.98
9. James Fairclough (USA) 169.86
10. Chester Weber (USA) 169.92
Final Nations Team standings:
1. Netherlands 279.77
2. USA 300.92
3. Germany 322.20
4. Switzerland 334.70
5. Australia 341.54
6. Canada 607.12
7. Sweden – DNF
Results obstacle driving competition:
1. Chester Weber (USA) 0
2. James Fairclough (USA) 0
3. Christoph Sandmann (USA) 0
4. Daniel Würgler (SUI) 0
5. Fredrik Persson (SWE) 0.56
6. IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 3.00
7. Koos de Ronde (NED) 3.00
8. Tucker Johnson (USA) 3.00
9. Boyd Exell (AUS) 3.52
10.Werner Ulrich (SUI) 6.52
Full results and startlists at www.alltechfeigames.com.
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The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), founded in 1921, is the international body governing equestrian sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and includes 133 National Federations.
Equestrian sport has been on the Olympic programme since 1912 with three disciplines – Jumping, Dressage and Eventing. It is one of the very few Olympic sports in which men and women compete on equal terms. It is also the only sport which involves two athletes – horse and rider. The FEI has relentlessly concerned itself with the welfare of the horse, which is paramount and must never be subordinated to competitive or commercial influences. For further information, visit www.fei.org.
The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games is the World Championship of equestrian sport and runs for 16 days, from Saturday 25 September to Sunday 10 October. It includes eight separate disciplines – Reining, Endurance, Dressage, Eventing, Driving, Jumping, Vaulting and Para-Dressage – and this is the first time for the Games to be held outside Europe.
Media Contact:
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FEI Director Press Relations
Tel: +41 787 506 142
Email: grania.willis@fei.org