Tag Archives: Jumping Ch.

FEI European Jumping Championships 2011 Final Day

L to R - Silver medallist Carsten-Otto Nagel from Germany, Gold medallist Rolf-Goran Bengtsson from Sweden and Bronze medallist Nick Skelton from Great Britain. Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI.

For a wrap-up of the Championships including interview with gold medallist Rolf-Goran Bengtsson (SWE) click http://youtu.be/smMqIO173pc.

HISTORIC FIRST AS SWEDEN’S BENGTSSON AND NINJA SWEEP INDIVIDUAL GOLD, by Louise Parkes

Madrid (ESP), 18 September 2011 – Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson and the brilliant little Ninja la Silla added European gold to their 2008 Olympic silver medal when sweeping to victory in the closing stages of the individual title-decider at the FEI European Jumping Championships in Madrid, Spain today. This was a historic first, as the only European medal previously stashed in the Swedish trophy cabinet throughout the 54-year history of this event is the bronze collected by the same rider at Arnhem in Holland in 2001.

In a cliff-hanger of a class that had spectators on the edges of their seats right to the very end, the pendulum of good fortune appeared to have swung in the direction of The Netherlands’ Gerco Schroder who was in the lead as the final round got underway. But Lady Luck was not smiling on the Dutchman today, and it was Germany’s Carsten-Otto Nagel and Corradina who claimed their second successive European silver medal, while Great Britain’s Nick Skelton and Carlo took bronze.

It truly was a battle of the giants of the sport. And in the end it was the sport that everyone was talking about tonight. The extraordinary atmosphere of cooperation that prevailed throughout the entire week between the riders, officials and organisers created a powerful sense of a great sport in good shape. As Ground Jury President, Stephan Ellenbruch, pointed out, “It’s been a fantastic event, and at the end of it we can only see smiling faces which is great!”

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FEI European Jumping Championships 2011 Day 3

FEI TV commentator Steve Hadley & Irish international Jumping rider Cian O’Connor sum up today’s amazing action at the FEI European Jumping Championships in Madrid, Spain on FEI YouTube Channel: http://goo.gl/ccphY.

GERMANY MAKES IT A MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, by Louise Parkes

Carsten-Otto Nagel, Marco Kutscher, Chef d'Equipe Otto Becker, Janne-Frederike Meyer and Ludger Beerbaum. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

Madrid (ESP), 16 September 2011 – Germany scooped team gold for the seventh time in the history of the FEI European Jumping Championships with a superb final-day performance at the Club de Campo in Madrid, Spain today. As the overnight leaders from The Netherlands faltered, eventually dropping to a disappointing fourth, the Germans flexed their not-inconsiderable muscle with three great clear rounds to snatch the title, while France moved up to seize silver and the British claimed the bronze.

An Olympic qualifying spot was some compensation to the Dutch who always looked like taking one of the three coveted spots available to non-qualified nations and, following a game of fluctuating fortunes today, it will be Switzerland and Sweden who will join them in London next summer. The Spanish also became contenders as the competition progressed, but their chances faded, as did those of the Irish whose only possibility of representation now lies in the Olympic rankings list.

DEMONSTRATION OF SOLIDARITY
The day began with a demonstration of solidarity in the sport as, following agreement by all concerned, the water fence which caused so many faults yesterday, was altered. The grey wall used in the first round was replaced with the darker frontage that had been used for the opening speed competition.

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FEI European Jumping Championships 2011 Day 4

DOUBLE GOLD WOULD BE PERFECT EARLY BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR NAGEL

Madrid (ESP), 17 September 2011 – Carsten-Otto Nagel is the man of the moment in Madrid. The 48-year-old already has a team gold medal in his back pocket after yesterday’s German victory at the FEI European Jumping Championships and, as leader of the individual rankings, he’s hoping to make that double gold here at the Club de Campo de Villa Madrid tomorrow.

Nagel will celebrate his 49th birthday next Friday, and what better present could there be than two European gold medals to add to the team gold from last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games that’s already in his collection.

There were five no-shows for this morning’s second horse inspection, most notably Pilar Lucrecia Cordón, best-placed of the Spanish in 12th overnight. Nuage Bleu has a minor leg injury and there was no question of risking the 10-year-old gelding over two big courses tomorrow. But the home side still has Julio Arias and Jarnac to cheer on and the Spanish rider’s fan club is sure to be out in force in the glorious Club de Campo showgrounds tomorrow afternoon.

Others who decided to give their horses a longer lie-in this morning were the three Belgians, Jos Lansink (Cavalor Valentina van’t Heike, Gregory Wathelet (Copin van de Broy) and world champion Philippe le Jeune (Vigo d’Arsouilles STX), as well as Italy’s Natale Chiaudani (Almero 12).

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Portuguese Horse Coltaire Z Withdrawn from FEI European Jumping Championships

Madrid (ESP), 16 September 2011 – The Portuguese have withdrawn Coltaire Z (Frutuoso de Melo) from today’s team final at the FEI European Jumping Championships in Madrid (ESP) for veterinary reasons. The 14-year-old stallion, which was in 36th place in the individual standings, has a leg injury.

The Portuguese team was lying in 10th place overnight and had earned a place in today’s top-10 team final, but as Portugal had fielded a team of only three horses, Coltaire Z’s withdrawal means that the Portuguese have now had to pull out of today’s team final.

Winningmood (Luciana Diniz), in 10th overnight, and Maestro St Lois (Joao Mota), in 35th, will both jump in today’s competition as individuals.

Under FEI Rules for Jumping Championships and Olympic Games, the withdrawal of one of the top 10 teams does not allow for a replacement team to be promoted into the team final.

Italian chef d’equipe Stefano Scaccabarozzi put in a written request to the Ground Jury asking for permission for the 11th-placed Italian team to compete in today’s team final. This request was considered by the Ground Jury under Article 326.3.2 in Chapter II (Continental Championships) of the Rules for Jumping Championships and Olympic Games. The Rules state that round two of the team competition (the team final) “is open only to the 10 best placed teams and those teams equal on penalties for 10th place after round one of the team competition.”

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FEI European Jumping Championships 2011 Day 2

FIERCE BATTLE FOR THE MEDALS AS DUTCH LEAD THE TEAMS AND NAGEL HEADS INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS, by Louise Parkes

Germany's Carsten-Otto Nagel and Corradina jumped to the top of the individual rankings at the FEI European Jumping Championships 2011 in Madrid, Spain today. The Dutch are leading the team rankings going into tomorrow's team decider. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

Madrid (ESP), 15 September 2011 – The Dutch have stormed to the front going into tomorrow’s second and deciding round of the Team Championship while Germany’s Carsten-Otto Nagel leads the individual rankings after another thrilling day at the FEI European Jumping Championships 2011 in Madrid, Spain today.  But it remains a very close-fought affair in both competitions, with less than a fence between the quartet from The Netherlands and the Germans in second place, while the French are almost six points further adrift in third, and only four faults separates the top nine in the individual rankings.

Overnight leader, Olivier Guillon from France, plummeted to ninth when, last into the ring, Lord de Theize hit the wall at fence four in an otherwise flawless tour of the 13-fence track.  But it was the open water that was the talking point at the end of the day, as almost half of the 67 starters picked up penalties here.  Course designer, Spain’s Santiago Vareles, got an unexpected, and almost unprecedented, round of applause from the riders at the post-competition press conference when he agreed that the presentation of this obstacle should be re-examined and that he would get to work on it right away. “Tomorrow we will make some changes to be more fair for the horses at the water jump, it will be good for the sport and better for the horses,” he said. The alterations are expected to include a taller take-off board.

OPENING QUESTION
The 1.60m cheese-hole-style red wall, and topped with gold-coloured blocks, was the opening question on the first testing line of fences and was followed by a 1.70m-wide oxer at fence five which led to the triple combination at six – oxer, vertical, oxer.  After circling right to the 1.60m planks which caused relatively few problems it was then left-handed to the next challenging line that began with another 1.70m-wide oxer and then the influential 4.10m-wide water, with most riders opting for a holding five strides to the following vertical.  And there was plenty more to come, with the massive triple bar – 1.58m tall and stretching across a full 2.10m – leading to the penultimate candy-coloured double that punished many who had made it all the way there before dropping a pole.

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French to the Fore at FEI European Jumping Championships

Olivier Guillon and Lord de Theize from France on their way to victory in the opening Speed class at the FEI European Jumping Championships 2011 in Madrid, Spain today. Photo: FEI/Michael Steiger.

Madrid (ESP), 14 September 2011 – The French head both the team and individual standings after an exciting opening competition at the FEI European Jumping Championships 2011 in Madrid, Spain today. Just four of the 67 starters were left to go when Olivier Guillon steered Lord de Theize home to snatch the advantage from long-time leaders Beat Mandli (SUI) and Louis. The Swiss partnership were then further demoted to third when the last horse-and-rider into the ring, the surprising Stefan Eder from Austria and his stallion Chili Van Dijk, edged them out with a great run to slot into second.

The 13-fence track set by Spanish course designer Santiago Vareles produced the perfect introduction to the tough week ahead, and there is plenty of tension in the air as, apart from the all-important Championship medals, so many nations are vying for the coveted three remaining qualifying spots available for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

CONVERTED INTO PENALTIES
In the team rankings, Germany lies second after today’s results were converted into penalties, while Sweden is in third ahead of The Netherlands in fourth and Great Britain in fifth. The Swedes were very impressive this afternoon and look to have one of the Olympic qualifying spots well within their sights. These will be allocated to the three highest-placed nations not already qualified. As it stands this evening, Sweden, The Netherlands and the host nation of Spain have the London tickets in their grasp, but they will need to hold on very tight indeed over the next two days as Italy, Ireland and the defending European team champions from Switzerland are hot on their heels.

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Host Nation Spain Drawn First to Go in FEI European Jumping Championships

Madrid (ESP), 13 September 2011 – Host nation Spain will be hoping to stay out in front after being drawn number one of 16 nations at today’s draw for the starting order in the FEI European Jumping Championships. The Spanish have never won the European Jumping title and are keen to reverse that trend on their home turf at Club de Campo de Villa Madrid this week.

Defending title holders Switzerland are fourth to go; France – the country of reigning individual champion Kevin Staut – are in 13th; and Germany, leaders in the FEI European Championship gold medal tally with six team titles, will start 14th.

The order of go for the FEI European Jumping Championships: 1, Spain; 2, Great Britain; 3, Poland; 4, Switzerland; 5, Ireland; 6, Netherlands; 7, Sweden; 8, Norway; 9, Italy; 10, Belgium; 11, Denmark; 12, Portugal; 13, France; 14, Germany; 15, Hungary; 16, Austria.

“Now I know what a warm welcome really means,” said Stephan Ellenbruch (GER), President of the Ground Jury, as temperatures soared and the Spanish summer returned to Club de Campo de Villa Madrid. Speaking at today’s draw, Stephan Ellenbruch said: “Maybe I should give the timetable for the swimming pool before we go into the draw!”

Show director Alfonso Segovia, who competed at both the Munich and Montreal Olympic Games, conducted the draw with FEI Jumping Committee Acting Chair, John Madden.

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FEI European Jumping Championships 2011 Preview

MADRID PROMISES A FEAST OF FINE SPORT by Louise Parkes

Lausanne (SUI), 8 September 2011 – The FEI European Jumping Championships celebrates its 31st anniversary as the action begins at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid in Spain next Tuesday.  At the inaugural Championship in Rotterdam (NED) back in 1957, where there were only individual medals on offer, just eight riders competed, and it was no surprise when Germany’s Hans Gunther Winkler took the title.

Fast-forward 54 years, and the 2011 fixture has attracted 85 riders from 22 countries, while 17 nations will fight it out for the team medals which were first introduced at Munich (GER) in 1975.  The team title on that occasion went to the host nation, which also claimed individual gold (Alwin Schockemohle), silver (Hartwig Steenken) and bronze (Sonke Sonksen).  The German record in these Championships is extraordinary – 45 medals in total including 14 individual and 6 sets of team gold.  Their nearest challengers in terms of supremacy are the British, but with a relatively modest 28 medals, including six individual and four team gold, they are a long way adrift of their German counterparts.

PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT
Staged every two years, in the middle of the Olympic cycle, the FEI European Jumping Championships are particularly significant in the season preceding the Olympic Games.  With London 2012 growing ever-closer, there is great pressure on the non-qualified nations to take this final opportunity to earn one of the three remaining places.

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Twenty-two Nations to Battle It Out at FEI European Jumping Championships in Madrid

A total of 86 riders from 22 nations have been declared for the FEI European Jumping Championships 2011. The event, which serves as a team qualifier for the 2012 Olympic Games for nations from Olympic Groups A (North Western Europe) and B (South Western Europe) will take place in Madrid (ESP) from 13 to 18 September.

Seventeen nations – Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, host nation Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and Ukraine – have entered teams. The Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Russia, and Slovakia will be represented by individual riders.

Venue for this year’s FEI European Jumping Championships is the stunning Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, one of Spain’s oldest and most prestigious country clubs formed in 1929. A brand new all-weather sand footing has been installed especially for the Championships.

Watch FEI TV’s preview at this link.

The full list of the FEI European Jumping Championships definite entries (published today) are available here.

Media contact:

Grania Willis
Director Media Relations
grania.willis@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 42

Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Media Relations
malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33

Record-breaking Germans Lead the Field at HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships

Germany’s Ingrid Klimke and FRH Butts Abraxxas lead the individual standings at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships and Germany is on top in the teams after the Dressage. Photo: Peter Nixon/FEI.

Lausanne (SUI), 26 August 2011 – Outstanding performances by Germany’s Ingrid Klimke and Michael Jung have put the home side into a fabulously strong position before tomorrow’s Cross Country phase at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships at Luhmühlen (GER).

The host nation, bidding for a first European team gold since 1973, is now more than 20 penalties ahead of defending champions Great Britain as the first team to score under 100 in the Dressage at European level. The Italians, who won silver in 2009, hold a fractional advantage in third over Sweden, who last won gold back in 1993.

Klimke is no stranger to brilliance in the Dressage arena, but even she was overwhelmed by FRH Butts Abraxxas’s mark of 30.0, which included six 10s: three for the entry and halt; two for her final halt and one, from Ground Jury member Christoph Hess, for her riding.

“Hans Melzer [German team trainer] told me I should do a 29, so he put me under pressure,” Klimke revealed.

The ever-smiling Klimke also admitted to despondency after her fall at Badminton (GBR) in April, in which she suffered a knee injury which kept her out of the saddle for 12 weeks.

“I was very depressed about it all because I just love to ride,” she said. “But then Abraxxas was in good shape at Aachen and Malmö and now I’m just thankful to be here.

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