Cassidy and Kimberly Palmer with Leon (www.sportfotos-lafrentz.de)

Dortmund, Germany – Cassidy and Kimberly Palmer put together a skillful and expressive performance to earn the pas-de-deux Bronze medal at the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting Final . They finished with an overall score of 7.812 behind Gold medalists Pia Engelberty and Torben Jacobs of Germany, with an overall score of 8.989, and Silver medalists Erika Di Forti and Lorenzo Lupacchini of Italy, with an overall score of 8.146.

“I am happy to win Bronze. Of course, we wished for the Gold, but the competition was very tough. I am satisfied with the freestyle so that’s what is the most important,” said Cassidy.

Kimberly added, “Making it on the podium is always a good thing, so of course I am happy. I always expect more of myself and the pas-de-deux; however, I am very happy we completed a clean freestyle for the audience.”

Cassidy and Kimberly (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) mimicked yesterday’s routine to the theme of the movie “Frozen,” for a chance to improve upon their first day’s score. After struggling with the dismount during their first freestyle, they settled for a score of 7.916. They cleaned up simple mistakes from yesterday’s routine. Unfortunately, their mount Leon, Wolfgang Renz’s Württemberger gelding, lost points during today’s routine. Despite this, the sisters performed smoothly on Leon. They assembled a strong, rhythmic routine with the assistance of lunger Renz for a second freestyle score of 7.708.

“Today’s freestyle felt a lot better than yesterday. It was much smoother, and everything went the way it should have. Altogether, it was definitely a better round,” said Cassidy.

Kimberly added, “I feel today’s routine was much better than yesterday. We cleaned up the little mistakes we made in the first round. I was very happy with how we preformed.”

Filled with lots of emotion, Engelberty and Torben performed a dynamic, expressive routine to earn a second freestyle score of 9.217, sealing the Gold medal. This was Engelberty’s final competition before retiring from the sport. Di Forti and Lupacchini were unable to improve upon their first freestyle score but managed to keep their second place position on a second freestyle score of 8.111.

Complete Results

From the USEF Communications Department

The Palmer Sisters will be one of four pas de deux at the FEI World Cup Final in Bordeaux (Karl-Heinz Frieler/FEI)

Lexington, Ky. – The FEI World Cup Vaulting qualifying season ended on Sunday and U.S. pas de deux vaulters Kimberly and Cassidy Palmer (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) have qualified for the FEI World Cup Vaulting Final in Bordeaux, France. Only the four best pas de deux pairs from qualifying go to the FEI World Cup Vaulting Final (six qualify in the male and female individual divisions), so the Palmers will be competing against two pas de deux teams from Austria and one from Germany. The Palmers’ qualification means that the U.S. will be represented at the FEI World Cup Vaulting Final for a second consecutive year, and for only the second time ever.*

The Palmers’ trip to the Final began in summer 2013 when good finishes earned them a chance to compete in the CVI-W competitions throughout the fall and winter. They really erupted onto the international vaulting scene in November, when they won the FEI World Cup Final qualifier at the Stuttgart German Masters. That win not only earned them a lot of valuable qualifying points, it put them into the record books as the first Americans to win an FEI World Cup Vaulting qualifier as a pas de deux.

Cassidy and Kimberly finished third overall in qualifying with 28 points. Fifteen of those points were earned in Stuttgart; 13 more were earned in Paris. The sisters also competed in the qualifier at Salzburg, but qualifying points can only be earned at two qualifiers, so they did not earn any at that competition.

Pas de deux is new to the FEI World Cup Vaulting Final in 2014 but, according to the FEI “has made such a successful FEI World Cup Vaulting début, with massive support from the vaulting community and audiences” and will be a permanent addition.

The FEI World Cup Vaulting Final will be held in Bordeaux, France on February 7th & 8th.

Cassidy and Kimberly are 20 and 18 years old, respectively. While in Europe they are lunged and coached by Wolfgang Renz. In the U.S. they are coached by Carolyn Bland as members of the Half Moon Bay Vaulters club. They were the U.S. Open Pas de Deux Champions in 2013.

To learn more about FEI World Cup Vaulting, go to www.fei.org/fei/events/world-cups/vaulting.

Follow the U.S. Vaulting Team at www.usefnetwork.com/featured/USVaultingTeam/.

*In 2013 Gabe Aniello qualified in the Male Individual division. He was the first ever American vaulter to qualify for the FEI World Cup Vaulting Final.