Lausanne (SUI), 13 October 2011 – The inaugural FEI World Cup Vaulting series will open with the first of five qualifiers in Kiel (GER) tomorrow (14-15 October), where seven athletes from four nations will battle it out at the Sparkassen Arena.
Victor Brusewitz (GER) and Lukas Klouda (CZE), who secured third and fourth places at the first FEI World Cup Vaulting Final which took place at Leipzig’s Partner Pferd in April, will compete against 19-year-old Torben Jacobs (GER).
University of Cologne student Pia Engelberty (GER), who topped the leaderboard going into the Leipzig Final and came out fourth, will be up against Rikke Laumann (DEN), Sarah Kay (GER) and the USA’s number 3 ranked vaulter Mary McCormick.
The world’s top ten male and female vaulters (listed here) will then compete in four further qualifiers in Munich (GER), Salzburg (AUT), Paris (FRA) and Leipzig (GER).
The six female and male vaulters with the highest point scores will then come together at the FEI World Cup Vaulting 2011/2012 Final (location and date to be confirmed following the FEI’s General Assembly in November).
FEI World Cup Series welcomes Vaulting
The FEI World Cup series, which began with Jumping in 1978, is now in its 34th season and outranked only by the FEI World Equestrian Games and the Olympics in its importance to equestrian sport.
The series was extended to Dressage in 1985, Driving in 2001 and Eventing in 2003.
The first FEI World Cup Vaulting Final took place in Leipzig in April this year and now the FEI World Cup Vaulting 2011/2012 series marks the first of many into the future.
“The decision to establish the FEI World Cup Vaulting series comes on the back of two major Vaulting milestones,” explained Ian Williams, FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports.
“Vaulting drew sell-out crowds at last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games – testament that it had claimed its rightful place among long-respected equestrian sports.
“This year, for the first time in the history of equestrian sport, the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping, Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage, FEI World Cup Driving and the inaugural FEI World Cup Vaulting Finals took place under one roof during Leipzig’s Partner Pferd, which again was a resounding success.
“The excitement going into the very first FEI World Cup Vaulting series is electric. We will see the world’s most talented vaulters pull out all the stops to set the pace for next year’s Final, where the best male and female vaulter will clinch the very first series title.”
Kiel Press Office Contact:
Andreas Kerstan
andreas.kerstan@comtainment.de
+49 4307 82796
FEI Media contacts:
Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45
Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Press Relations
malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33