The eleventh edition of the Longines Masters of Paris, due to be held between the 5th and the 8th December, will welcome the very best of international of show jumpers. You can judge for yourself! In front of an expected audience of 50,000 spectators, ten riders from the World’s Top 12 and no fewer than seven Olympic champions will compete in Paris-Villepinte on courses designed by Gregory Bodo, the French course designer. They will take part in the “made by EEM World” events that secured the international reputation of the competition organized by Christophe Ameeuw, the Longines watchmaker, and their teams.
Simply the best
If you take the Longines rankings on October 31, then remove Ben Maher from the UK and Beezie Madden from the US, you get the ten names of the headliners of this 11th edition of the Longines Masters of Paris. It’s quite simple. For the best riders in the world, the Paris meeting is a must for their indoor season, and they are loyally returning to a course they particularly like. So, Steve Guerdat from Switzerland, World No 1, as well as reigning European champion, Martin Fuchs, his runner-up in the ranking, will be present. From Germany, Mannschaft is sending both its most suitable ambassadors at the moment, Daniel Deusser, 3rd in the world, and Christian Ahlmann, 10th. Sweden won’t be left out either with Peder Fredricson, 4th best rider at the moment and 2017 European champion, as well as Henrik von Eckermann, 12th in the Longines rankings, also present. The new European team champions from Belgium will be represented with Pieter Devos (7th), Jérôme Guery, Grégory Wathelet, and Jos Verlooy. Other expected competitors are Kent Farrington from the US, 8th in the world, Darragh Kenny from Ireland, 9th, and Harrie Smolders from the Netherlands, at number 11 in the world.
Seven Olympic Champions
An Olympic champion is a champion for life. Seven other gold medalists answered the call to take part in the 2019 Longines Masters of Paris. Steve Guerdat (London 2012) of course, but also Rodrigo Pessoa from Brazil (Athens 2004) and the iconic Eric Lamaze (Beijing Hong Kong 2008). The spectators will also be able to count on the four reigning Olympic team champions: the French tricolours – Pénélope Leprévost, KevinStaut, Roger-Yves Bost, and Philippe Rozier. The Rio 2016 quartet will be accompanied by Simon Delestre and Julien Epaillard, all representing France.
Young riders
The Longines Masters of Paris has always been committed to opening its courses to promising talents. This spirit of openness and opportunity offered to budding young riders to acquire valuable experience is the DNA of the Riders Lab launched by Christophe Ameeuw in June 2019, during the Longines Masters of Lausanne. The young riders selected to join the 2019 Paris launch of the Riders Lab – Kara Chad of Canada, Pieter Clemens of Belgium, European Young Riders champion in 2015, his compatriot Arnaud Doern, Edward Levy from France, and the Italian carabiniere Filippo Bologni – will be on the prestigious Longines Masters course in Paris from December 5 to 8. Another highly awaited rider is Jessica Springsteen from the US. She will be 28 years old in a few weeks’ time and she’ll have the opportunity to confirm her excellent results recently achieved on French ground. Springsteen, considered a future star of her discipline, was triumphant in the Saint-Tropez CSI 5* in September and finished second at the Longines FEI World Cup in Lyon, only 58 hundredths behind a certain Martin Fuchs.
Daniel Koroloff – +33 (0)6 11 02 18 12 – daniel@blizko-communication.com
Juliette Feytout – +33 (0)7 50 39 37 40 – juliette@blizko-communication.com