Lexington, KY (October 12, 2010) – Combined Driver Chester Weber showed himself to be a world class competitor during the final days of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, when he brilliantly won the cones phase of the Combined Driving event with a lightning fast time of 200.42 to help the U.S. team clinch the Silver Medal. US Teammates Weber, James Fairclough and Tucker Johnson not only won the team Silver, but Johnson won the Individual Bronze as well, while the Netherlands won the team Gold and Germany the team Bronze.
On the first day of the Combined Driving competition, a standout dressage test had Weber tied for second place with IJsbrand Chardon of the Netherlands. However, things weren’t all smooth sailing for Weber; the eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Champion experienced bad luck on the marathon phase when one of his horses put a leg over a trace and a groom had to dismount to help the horse. The groom dismounting added points to Weber’s score and put him out of the running for an individual medal.
“The marathon was a fast and challenging course with a little bad luck for us,” Weber said. “However, there were 40,000 plus spectators and it was a great day for American driving as our sport was presented to the masses who attended in person or followed it on NBC or the Internet. Hopefully it will increase interest in Combined Driving.”
Finding himself out of the running for an individual medal didn’t slow Weber down, however, and he and his team attacked the cones phase with a vengeance on the final day of WEG. Any pressure Weber put on himself for a clean and fast cones phase proved to be the silver lining of the weekend, as it pushed the U.S. team into second and helped them take home the Silver Medal. Weber was also part of the U.S. team that won a Silver Medal at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Spain.
“Pressure was part of my plan on Sunday, but it was more about the U.S. team than my own results,” Weber said. “I wanted to do my part in securing the team medal so that when Tucker was driving for the individual bronze he would not have the added pressure of the team medal too. Moreover, I wanted to come back from Saturday’s bad luck of having a wheel horse step in a lead trace and needing to put a groom down in an obstacle that in turn took me out of the individual medal race, and finish the event off on a good note.”
While Weber is describing his World Equestrian Games experience as “bittersweet,” he is already beginning to focus on the future. “We are beginning the work to plan for the 2012 World Championships in Riesenbeck, Germany,” Weber said, adding that he wanted to thank his fans and sponsors for their support during WEG. “It takes a small village to compete and behind my organization is certainly a village. It is an honor to sit in my carriage and be a part of it.”
Weber is no stranger to competing overseas, and in 2004 he became the first American to win the prestigious German Fahrderby at Riesenbeck, an achievement he repeated in 2008. Weber also accomplished what no other American has done before, when in 2008 he won the Individual Silver Medal at the World Driving Championships.
For more information on Weber and his combined driving team, visit their website at www.chesterweber.com.
For more information contact:
Chester Weber
1-352-895-1139
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