Tag Archives: Sophie Christiansen

Great Britain Takes Command of Para-Equestrian Team Competition

Great Britain’s Sophie Christiansen and Athene Lindebjerg (Jon Stround/FEI)

Rio de Janeiro (BRA), 12 September 2016 – Great Britain took control of the team competition at the Rio 2016 para-dressage on Monday, with London 2012 double gold medallist Sophie Christiansen winning the grade Ia team test with a massive 77.522%. Riding Athene Lindebjerg, Christiansen scored the highest marks of the entire competition so far to beat team mate Anne Dunham into second place, with Germany’s Elke Philip in third.

“For her to go in that loud, atmospheric arena I was over the moon with her,” Christiansen said after her test. “And I’ve got a really bad cold today so I had to contend with that as well.

“It felt a bit tentative and it’s nice getting that score knowing that there’s more to come.”

Belgium’s Michèle George won the grade IV team test in the morning, setting out her stall for the defence of her two individual London 2012 titles in the process.

Riding FBW Rainman, the current world champion scored 75.286% to finish just over half a percentage point ahead of Great Britain’s Sophie Wells. Frank Hosmar of The Netherlands was third.

“It felt great,” said George after her test. “I was very happy with my horse. When I came in he was a little bit under because there were a lot of things to see and he’s very sensitive to that, but I think the warmth was in my favour today.

“He was at 99.9% and not over the top and I really enjoyed my ride.”

Wells’ solid performance opened the scoring for Great Britain in the team competition in the best way possible. “He went in and listened to what he had to do,” she said. “He was a little nervous which is understandable as he’s not been to a Paralympics before, but he came back to me and concentrated and did what he needed to do.”

Following the day’s tests Great Britain currently lead the team competition, ahead of Belgium and Germany. The competition is still not half-way through, however, as the results of Tuesday’s (13 September) grade II team test, and then the five individual tests which follow, will also be counted.

One of the more emotional moments of Monday’s competition came when Uruguay’s Alfonsina Maldonado, riding Da Vinci, competed her test. Maldonado’s debut marks the first time Uruguay has entered the para-dressage competition and it appeared that the nerves and pressure of the event may have affected her. She finished at the bottom of the nine-rider field and left the arena in tears. “I always dreamed to be a champion,” she said afterwards. “The horse was really good but I was really nervous and emotional because it was the first time my family was here to see me and I couldn’t control my hands and legs. I hope that my country feels proud. I did my best.”

By Rob Howell

FEI Media Contacts:

Grania Willis
Director Press Relations
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Leanne Williams
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Great Britain Sees Challenge from Netherlands on First Day of Team Competition

Great Britain’s Sophie Christiansen was the highest scoring athlete of today’s first Team competition at the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships 2015 in Deauville (FRA) – all eyes are now on the action tomorrow (19 September), when the European team and Individual medallists will be crowned. (Jon Stroud/FEI)

Deauville (FRA), 18 September 2015 – Great Britain saw off a formidable challenge from the Netherlands to take the lead in the first part of the Team competition today at the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships 2015 in Deauville (FRA).

The Netherlands’ riders won three of the five tests on offer today, but strong performances from Great Britain’s Sophie Christiansen, Anne Dunham and Sophie Wells gave the British team a slight advantage after the first day of competition.

Competing in Grade Ia, Christiansen obtained the highest score of the day with 76.130% on her new horse Athene Lindebjerg, a sweet victory as this is their first major championships together. Teammate Dunham placed second with 75.261%, a fraction ahead of Norway’s Jens Lasse Dokkan. These scores, combined with a strong performance from Wells, were enough for Team GBR to gain the lead at the end of day one.

“I knew we had to raise our score and ride a solid test,” said Christiansen. “When I went into the arena though, that was not what I was thinking about. I was thinking about my horse and hoping to get the best out of her, and I knew that would come. I was quite nervous going in there today not knowing how she would react. I’m so proud of Athene and my team.”

Such was the strength of the Grade Ia competition that its top four placed athletes were the highest scoring athletes across all grades today.

In Grade Ib, Nicole Den Dulk led the charge scoring 73.120% on Wallace N.O.P. to take the win. Second place went to Stinna Tange Kaastrup of Denmark, while Austria’s Pepo Puch took third.

Den Dulk said: “I won! It doesn’t happen often that I beat two Olympic and world champions. It was a great ride and my confidence was there, and I know we can do it. You need a bit of luck as well, but I was still up two per cent and I hope to do it again tomorrow. We have a tough group with a lot of competition, but competition makes you stronger, and for me it’s just a great day.”

Den Dulk’s teammate Frank Hosmar, individual, freestyle and team bronze medallist at London 2012 and double bronze medallist at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014, scored his very first European Championship victory in today’s Grade IV. Riding Alphaville N.O.P. his healthy 74.00% put Great Britain’s Sophie Wells into second place, with Germany’s Carolin Schnarre and Denmark’s Line Kongensgaard joint third.

Hosmar said: “This is my first European Championship win! We’ve trained a lot and Alphaville is getting stronger. Now we can really get into the details and that’s working out really well. I’ve had him since he was four, and he’s now 10. All the pieces are falling together now.”

Making her European Championship debut, current Grade II world champion Rixt Van Der Horst (NED) won her class just ahead of Great Britain’s Natasha Baker and Belgium’s Barbara Minneci. Riding Uniek NOP, Van Der Horst scored 72.618%.

“I’m very happy. I was relaxed and he [Uniek NOP] gave me a really good feeling and felt great,” said Der Horst. “We had a really good test. I’ve won all my international tests this year and he is getting better and better. We improve every time.”

Germany’s Hannelore Brenner won the Grade III on Women of the World. The multi European, World and Paralympic Champion scored 71.474%, to finish just ahead of Anne Katrin Lubbe from Norway, and the Netherlands’ Lotte Krijnsen. Germany currently lies in third place for the Team competition.

Next stop – Team & Individual medals

The FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships 2015 continue tomorrow, when the Team and first Individual medals will be won.

The Team medallists will be crowned based on the top three scores for each nation from tomorrow’s Individual tests, combined with the top three scores from today’s Team tests.

See today’s full results here: www.handiequicompet.fr/en/419/results.

Facts & figures:

75 athletes from 20 nations are competing at the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships 2015 in Deauville.

14 countries have entered teams – three more than in 2013. They are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden.

Six nations will be represented by individual riders: Czech Republic, Israel, Latvia, Portugal, Switzerland and Slovakia.

Great Britain topped the medal table with seven golds at the JSYK FEI Para-Dressage Championships 2013 in Herning (DEN).

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Check out the FEI European Para-Dressage Championships 2015 online: http://bit.ly/1KonJgV & press kit: http://bit.ly/1iiVvO6.

Rio 2016 Paralympic Games

At the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games (7-18 September 2016), the first Paralympic Games to be held in South America, Equestrian will celebrate 20 years in the Paralympic Movement. Brazil, as host nation, has earned automatic team qualification for Rio. Three nations – Great Britain, Netherlands and Germany – qualified team spots for Rio at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014, which was Equestrian’s first team qualifying opportunity for Rio. Now, all starting places in Rio are based on individual and team ranking points, so the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships 2015 in Deauville are hugely important for all athletes competing. See dedicated Paralympic Games hub here for detailed information: www.fei.org/fei/games/paralympic/rio-2016.

By Rob Howell

FEI European Para-Dressage Championships Media Contact:

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