Lausanne (SUI), 21 August 2012 – The FEI World Vaulting Championships 2012, which were held in the horse sport centre Boulerie Jump in Le Mans, France (15-19 August) attracted a field of more than 150 athletes, 50 lungers and 56 horses from 17 nations. The Championships saw vaulters compete over five demanding days for squad and individual titles (male and female), as well as the top spot for the Pas-de-Deux, which was introduced for the first time this year in a World Championship.
18-year drought
The excitement was high-octane in the Le Mans arena on the final day of the Championships as two squads had a realistic chance of winning the title: Voltige Lütisburg from Switzerland and Germany’s RSV Neuss-Grimlinghausen squad. After scoring 7.77 for an amazing performance in the compulsory, the Swiss squad – coached and lunged by Monika Winkler-Bischofberger – had established a comfortable lead of nearly 0.2 points. After the two following freestyle rounds they cantered to victory on their horse Will Be Good.
The win put an end to an 18-year drought on the world stage. It was the first Swiss victory at the World Championships since 1994, when they won gold at the FEI World Equestrian Games in The Hague (NED), although they did claim the European title at the 2001 Championships in Poznan, (POL).
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