FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2015/2016 – Round 3: Swiss, German And Italian Vaulters Take World Cup Honours In Salzburg

Switzerland’s Simone Jäiser recorded her second win of the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2015/2016 season in Salzburg (AUT) today where German star, Jannis Drewell, topped the Male Individual competition and Italy’s Erika di Lupacchini and Lorenzo Forti stole the show in the Pas-de-Deux.

The electric atmosphere of the arena at the Amadeus Indoor fixture staged ensured that both horses and vaulters needed maximum concentration. But the winners all rose to the challenge in fine style, and the increasing confidence of the Italian pair saw them produce a particularly impressive result.

Individual Female

Jäiser, who reigned supreme at the opening leg of the series in Madrid (ESP) seven days earlier, led the way in yesterday’s first round of the Individual Female competition. But Italy’s Anna Cavallaro who won the second leg in Paris (FRA) a week ago really pushed the reigning European Freestyle champion for the honours this afternoon. The Swiss vaulter’s score of 8.317 left her in second place behind her Italian rival, but Jäiser’s combined score from the two days gave her the edge by the narrowest of margins – just 0.003 points.

“Today it was great to be back on my own horse that I know really well!” said the 29-year-old athlete who was runner-up at last season’s FEI World Cup™ Vaulting Final in Graz (AUT). In Madrid, all but one of the vaulters were paired with borrowed horses so success was hard-earned, but this time around Jäiser was on familiar territory once again when performing with her lunger Rita Blieske and her stalwart 12-year-old chestnut gelding Luk.

“The stadium was very full, much more than yesterday, but it felt great to compete in there with a big audience and under those lights!” she said afterwards. Reflecting on her performance she said, “the beginning was very good, now that the World Cup competitions are longer I find that the old stuff is in my head and my body, and I can go through those movements and positions very easily, although the new part takes a lot more concentration” she admitted.

Following a recent rule change for FEI World Cup™ Vaulting, individuals now have an additional 20 seconds for their performances, extending them from 1 minute to 1 minute 20 seconds, so competitors have had to extend their sequence of movements. “It’s not that it is much more difficult, it is just more to remember! I’m very happy with it though”, Jäiser added.

Individual Male

Jannis Drewell’s victory in the Male Individual looked almost inevitable after a brilliant first round yesterday in which he pinned French rivals Vincent Haennel and Clement Taillez into second and third places. The 24-year-old is a real showman as he demonstrated when leading the German assault on all three medals at this summer’s Europeans in Aachen on his extraordinary debut at Championship level. In his now-familiar orange robe, he once again thrilled with jumps, kick-boxing and his very particular kind of “planking” in which he carries his entire body weight in suspension.

“I have been doing that since I was in Juniors and I have been practicing it for a long time so it’s fairly easy for me. I put in an extra one from the side to the front and then I put two together and its looks really cool. I train a lot for upper body strength and for coordination” Drewell explained this evening.

“My big aim is to produce a performance that the audience will really enjoy – I want them to have fun!” said the young man who previously presented today’s programme in Munich. “I think the mounting at the beginning is the biggest part of my Freestyle but it didn’t work perfectly both days here in Salzburg. Normally it is better” he said.

Talking about the leggy 16-year-old gelding, Lago Maggiore, which was lunged by Simone Drewell today, he said, “he is my own horse that I have had for more than three years now. I did some CVIs with him this year and I’m very happy with him because he stayed really cool for me here in Salzburg. The white horse I had in Aachen – Diabolus – well he might have gone ‘uh oh…what’s going on here?’ once he came into the middle of this arena! So that is why I chose Lago, he is always very calm and sensible. This is not like a normal vaulting arena in Salzburg, but it was really cool for me to be in such a big arena with such a great audience!” he added, after finishing ahead of Taillez in second and Haennel in third after two rounds of competition.

Italy’s Erika di Lupacchini and Lorenzo Forti were a picture of elegance when winning the Pas-de-Deux at today’s third leg of the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2015/2016 series in Salzburg, Austria. (FEI/Impressions..Daniel Kaiser)

Pas-de-Deux

The Pas-de-Deux winners, Lupacchini and Forti, also headed the line-up yesterday when pipping the pair who came out on top in Paris a week ago, the USA’s Cassidy and Kimberly Palmer. But any chance the sisters had of overtaking their Italian counterparts was shattered by an early fall for Cassidy during today’s routine. Literally thrown off their stride, the American girls just couldn’t retrieve the situation and ended up finishing a disappointing fourth at the end of the day.

It was Jolina Ossenberg-Engles and Timo Gerdes who presented the strongest challenge to the winning two-some, the German pair who just missed out on selection for this summer’s FEI European Championships looking suitably delighted when dismounting after their complicated Romeo and Juliet programme which they performed with greater confidence and fluidity than when they finished third in Paris last Saturday night.

However the Italian duo were in a class of their own, demonstrating a balletic quality in their holds and great ease in their expressive and beautifully-executed high moves. Their pleasing choreography produced a captivating performance for a double-victory and a two-day total of 7.930 which left them well clear of Ossenberg-Engels and Gerdes in second place and Switzerland’s Zoe Maruccio and Schmid Syra in third.

After the busy start to the new FEI World Cup™ Vaulting season, there is now a three-week breathing space before the battle resumes at Mechelen in Belgium on 26 December.

Louise Parkes

Austria Claims First Ever European Men’s Team Title

Austria has became the Men’s European Team Champions for the very first time today at the Liebherr 2015 ITTF-European Table Tennis Championships in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Austria created history by defeating Germany, the heavy favorites for gold, 3-2 in one of the most dramatic and exciting table tennis final of all time.

Austria’s number one Robert GARDOS got the underdogs off to a perfect start, coming back from 0-2 down to defeat Germany’s Patrick BAUM 3-2 in the opening match.

Austria were one point from going to a 2-0 lead when Stefan FEGERL surrendered a match point to lose 3-2 against world number five Dimitrij OVTCHAROV in an epic match that went for 1 hour and 14 minutes.

Daniel HABESOHN 3-2 win over Patrick FRANZISKA put Austria 2-1 up, only for OVTCHAROV to beat GARDOS to tie the match 2-2 and send it into a decider.

FEGERL did not make the same mistake he did against OVTCHAROV again and hammered BAUM to conclude matters and start the emotional celebrations from the Austrian team in front of the capacity crowd.

“It feels amazing for us to win the title over Germany! We were ready for the long match. If you want to beat Germany you have to be prepared to play the marathon. It stands the same for my first match. I never gave up. I kept fighting,” explained GARDOS.

“This time it was easer then in previous matches. Germany was under greater pressure. This time I played relaxed,” said FEGERL.

Earlier in the day, Germany won their third European Women’s Team title in a row after defeating a spirited Romanian team 3-0 in the final.

Germany got off to a flying start with world number 11 HAN Ying easily dispatching off Bernadette SZOCS 3-0 to gain all the momentum. Germany did not look back as SHAN Xiaona beat Romania’s number one player Elizabeta SAMARA 3-0, andPetrissa SOLJA fought off some last minute nerves to defeat Daniela MONTEIRO-DODEAN 3-2 to clinch the gold.

Austria celebrates their team victory at the ITTF-European Championships.

After winning the deciding match, SOLJA stated: “I already saw myself with the gold medal after the second game, and suddenly I could not play anymore as I got extremely nervous. Everything that I tried failed. It was only in the fifth game when I recovered.”

“Now, I am even happier as I won my team the gold medal with the 3:2 victory against DODEAN, and we are the champions!” explained SOLJA.

The Liebherr 2015 ITTF-Europe Table Tennis Championships continues tomorrow, with four titles (men’s & women’s singles & doubles) still up for grabs before the event finishes on 4 October 2015.

ITF SUPER-SENIORS WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS

below are the final results from the 2015 ITF Super-Seniors World Team Championships in Umag, Croatia on Saturday 26 September and Sunday 27 September. The Championships have taken place on 21-27 September, with 121 teams from 30 countries competing in four age categories from 65-and-over to 80-and-over.

The ITF Super-Seniors World Individual Championships are taking place in Umag, Croatia on 27 September – 4 October.

The ITF Young Seniors, Seniors and Super-Seniors World Team and Individual Championships are the premier events on the ITF Seniors Circuit. Players aged from 35-and-over to 45-and-over compete in the Young Seniors Championships, from 50-and-over to 60-and-over in the Seniors Championships, and from 65-and-over to 85-and-over compete in the Super-Seniors Championships. Starting with one team trophy in 1958, and four individual events in 1981, the competitions have grown to offer a total of 72 World Championship titles each year to teams, and in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

Final results

Britannia Cup (M65)

SPAIN (1) defeated USA (2) 2-0:
Luis Flor de la Morena (ESP) d. William Bolton (USA) 16 60 63
Jorge Camina Borda (ESP) d. Brian Cheney (USA) 62 61
Angel Calvo Angulo/Jairo Velasco Ramirez (ESP) v. Michael Beautyman/Brian Cheney (USA) not played

Jack Crawford Cup (M70)

AUSTRIA (1) defeated NETHERLANDS (8) 2-1:
Ben De Jel (NED) d. Johannes Muehlenburg (AUT) 62 60
Hans Heissl (AUT) d. Ed Sasker (NED) 64 75
Hans Heissl/Johannes Muehlenburg (AUT) d. Hans Bronkhorst/Ed Sasker (NED) 67(7) 75 75

Bitsy Grant Cup (M75)

GERMANY (4) defeated USA (3) 2-1:
Horst Haetti (GER) d. Lester Sack (USA) 16 62 64
Klaus Haas (GER) d. Rudy Hernando (USA) 75 63
Joseph Bachmann/Robert Quall (USA) d. Heinz Kleinemas/Hans Koller (GER) 64 61

Gardnar Mulloy Cup (M80)

GERMANY (4) defeated AUSTRALIA (2) 3-0:
Gerd Coldewey (GER) d. Max Byrne (AUS) 63 61
Herbert Althaus (GER) d. John O’Brien (AUS) 63 62
Wilfried Mahler/Guenter Schwellnas (GER) d. Alan Hocking/Claude Wenzel (AUS) 63 63

Kitty Godfree Cup (W65)

USA (1) defeated GREAT BRITAIN (4) 2-1:
Brenda Carter (USA) d. Shirley Fox (GBR) 7-6(4) 6-7(4) 6-3
Kerry Young (USA) d. Marjory Love (GBR) 61 63
June Peck/Rosemary Wilson (GBR) d. Kathy Bennett/Carol Clay (USA) 76(6) ret.

US Men s 80s team (2012)
photo credit: Skip Russell
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Althea Gibson Cup (W70)

FRANCE (1) defeated NETHERLANDS 2-0:
Michele Bichon (FRA) d. Marijke Ter Heerdt Poelman (NED) 60 63
Gail Benedetti (FRA) d. Elly Krocke (NED) 64 61
Frederique Caillard/Sylvie Galfard-Kirsten (FRA) v. Anneke Jelsma De Jong/ Elly Krocke (NED) not played

Queens’ Cup (W75)

USA (1) defeated GREAT BRTAIN (3) 3-0:
Donna Fales (USA) d. Joan Hassell (GBR) 61 60
Lynn Little (USA) d. Ruth Weston (GBR) 76(6) 63
Roz King/Lynn Little (USA) d. Jean Porter/Mary Walkerdine (GBR) 61 60

Doris Hart Cup (W80)

Round Robin winner: USA
Team: Burnette Herrick, Judy Smith, Mary Lynch, Rose Yurek Austin

FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships: Orange Is The New Gold As The Netherlands Top The Medal Table

The Netherlands have topped the medal table for the first time at a major international Para-Equestrian championships after the day of the dancing horses at the FEI Para-Equestrian Dressage European Championships in Deauville (FRA) today.

As the freestyle competition rounded off three days of thrilling competition, the first gold of the day went to World Freestyle champion, and the new European Individual champion, Rixt Van Der Horst of The Netherlands on Uniek N.O.P. Van Der Horst scored an impressive 79.000% to take her first European Freestyle title ahead of defending title-holder and reigning Paralympic champion Natasha Baker of Great Britain, and Germany’s Steffen Zeibig.

A delighted Van Der Horst said: “I feel fantastic. It was a fantastic ride. It was freezing cold outside and I couldn’t move my legs so my horse was really doing it for me. I had a little more confidence and it was good and I wasn’t nervous. The pressure was off after yesterday and I tried to enjoy my Freestyle. I’m very proud of my whole team and my horse and we’ve improved so much in the last year. Now we’re preparing for Rio!”

Van Der Horst’s teammate Frank Hosmar continued his excellent weekend by taking his first major championship Freestyle gold in the Grade IV competition. Riding Alphaville N.O.P. he scored 79.950 to take the honours, just ahead of Great Britain’s defending champion Sophie Wells and Germany’s Carolin Schnarre.

After only his second major championship gold medal Hosmar said: “It’s really wonderful with that amazing horse that he is. He didn’t make any mistakes and I’m so pleased with him. In the warm-up he was good so I was confident that it was possible. Yesterday was my first gold medal and this is the second. I feel good about Rio but it’s a year away and we have to keep the horses healthy.”

And there was another great victory for Austria’s Pepo Puch in the Grade Ib competition. On Fine Feeling S, he scored 77.750% to take his second title of the championships ahead of Great Britain’s Lee Pearson and The Netherlands Nicole Den Dulk.

Speaking after his medal ceremony Puch said: “I didn’t expect a second gold medal so it’s amazing for me, it’s fantastic. Especially today my reins got longer and longer and I had no chance to catch them in trot so I was really without steering but my mare knew the way.

“This weekend was really hard mentally. On one side I felt my horse was good and everyone is really friendly and I know this place, but after the vet inspection on Thursday (when Puch’s horse was held over for re-inspection on Friday morning) I think it’s time for a holiday.”

In the Grade III competition Germany’s superstar rider Hannelore Brenner regained her European Freestyle title after six years riding Women of The World to score 77.950%. In doing so she beat Susanne Sunesen of Denmark into second place and The Netherlands Lotte Krijnsen into third, Krijnsen’s second podium finish on her major international event debut.

Denmark’s Stinna Tange Kaastrup, former World Grade Ib champion and 2011 European freestyle gold medallist, scored double bronze at the 2013 Europeans. She will be looking to get back on top at the three-day FEI European Para-Dressage Championships 2013 in Deauville, France, which start tomorrow. (Liz Gregg/FEI)

Brenner said: “I am very happy and she was really wonderful to ride. It is an honour to have that horse and ride her. I have the feeling that every year she is a little bit better, I don’t know why and I don’t know how, but we work every day and she has to work and then has time to relax and I think she is a happy horse.”

The final medal of the day went to multi European, World and Paralympic champion Sophie Christiansen of Great Britain in the Grade Ia Freestyle finale. Riding Athene Lindejberg to a score of 80.700% – the highest score of the event and the only 80+ score – she saw off her closest competitor and teammate Anne Dunham, who ended in the silver medal position, with Italy’s World Freestyle champion Sara Morganti taking the bronze, a relief for her after just missing out on a medal in the Individual.

“I came out of the arena thinking I could not ask Athene for any more”, Christiansen said. “She was absolutely fab and she doesn’t really like noise and music so I was a bit wary of today and I think my music got turned up from the sound check. She’s amazing and even if I hadn’t won I couldn’t have done any more. That makes it 21 gold medals now at World, European and Paralympic level. I’ve still yet to beat Lee Pearson though.

“The whole competition has given me so much confidence in my mare and the new team. My trainer Linsay Coleridge-Smith is amazing, and we work perfectly together and she also knows when to give me a telling off. This was meant to be a rehearsal for next year and Rio, so it’s quite a good one.”

The weekend though belongs to the Dutch team who top the medal table with four gold medals, ahead of Great Britain’s three. It’s the first time at a major championships that the British team has failed to top the medal table and Dutch Chef D’Equipe Joyce Heuitink was clearly delighted with that result.

“I am thrilled,” she said. “It has been an amazing championships. After the World championships last year where we won 10 medals out of 11, this year we said that was impossible to do again, but throughout the year every show proved we were on the right track and we did a little bit better at every show. The feeling was good but you never know at a championship. Frank and Rixt have been amazing and Lotte was my reserve and she did an amazing job winning two bronze medals.”

The riders will now head home eager to see how all the results from these championships affect the world rankings ahead of qualification for next year’s Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. On the strength of these championships, it’s clear that it’s going to be a spectacular event.

The Netherlands’ Frank Hosmar continued his excellent weekend by taking his first major championship freestyle gold in the Grade IV competition with Alphaville N.O.P. to help the Dutch to the top of the medal table. (Jon Stroud/FEI)

Facts & figures

75 athletes from 20 nations competed at the FEI European Para-Dressage Championships 2015 in Deauville (FRA).

14 countries 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 were represented by individual riders: Czech Republic, Israel, Latvia, Portugal, Switzerland and Slovakia.

The Netherlands topped the 2015 medal table in Deauville with four gold, one silver and four bronze medals, to Great Britain’s three gold and eight silver.

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

FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships 2015: Twenty Nations Head To First Championships To Be Held In France #EuroPara2015

A total of 75 athletes from 20 nations will compete at the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships 2015 which get underway tomorrow (18 September) in Deauville (FRA), where a three-day battle for medals will take place alongside one of the last major pushes for world ranking points for Rio 2016 Paralympic Games qualification.

Just one year after the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy (FRA), the region, which is steeped in equestrian sport, will once again be welcoming spectators with open arms, and with free entry, to France’s very first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships.

Great Britain faces toughest competition yet

British riders have been the ones to beat for pretty much the entire history of Para-Equestrian Dressage, but over the last few years there have been signs of a real challenge to this dominance from other European athletes.

While Team GBR is as determined as ever to keep the top spot, a number of key rivalries are developing in the sport’s five grades, including a fascinating head-to-head between the Netherlands and Germany.

Grade Ia has, for the last few years at least, been dominated by Britain’s Sophie Christiansen. She famously took three gold medals – team, individual and freestyle – at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and swiftly repeated this at the JYSK FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships 2013.

At last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™, Christiansen was a hot favourite to repeat “the triple” and become one of the few athletes to hold Paralympic, European and World titles simultaneously. While she smoothly took the individual honours in Normandy, Italy’s Sara Morganti, who won individual and freestyle bronze at the 2013 Europeans, beat Christiansen in the freestyle with a superb display of horsemanship to the My Fair Lady soundtrack.

Both athletes will also have to tackle the challenge posed by Great Britain’s Anne Dunham, who won consecutive gold medals at four Paralympic Games starting in Atlanta in 1996, and is Christiansen’s closest domestic rival. Dunham took home double silver and team gold at the 2013 Europeans, and is definitely one to watch in Deauville.

Tough at the top

Great Britain’s Lee Pearson, the 10-time Paralympic gold medalist, had a disappointing London 2012 by his own high standards. He was aiming for his 11th gold medal, which would have matched the tally achieved by wheelchair racer Tanni Grey-Thompson, but although Pearson was on the gold medal winning team in London, he had to settle for freestyle bronze and individual silver. He wasn’t selected for the 2013 Europeans but, used to overcoming challenges, Pearson worked solidly on his new horse, Zion, to come storming back at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 to take the team, individual and freestyle Ib titles.

In Deauville, Pearson will once again be up against the London 2012 winner, and current double European champion and World silver medalist, Austria’s Pepo Puch.

But it’s not just Pearson and Puch in the running for the medals. Add in the Netherlands’ double World bronze winning Nicole Den Dulk to the mix, and then stir in former World Champion Stinna Tange Kaastrup of Denmark, the double bronze medalist at the 2013 Europeans, and the Grade Ib competition could be the most exciting of these Championships.

Real surprise

The real surprise of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 was the sudden emergence of Dutch superstar Rixt Van Der Horst in Grade II. Competing at her first major international, the young rider knocked outright favourite Natasha Baker (GBR), the London 2012 individual and freestyle gold medalist and triple gold medalist at the 2013 Europeans, off the top of the podium to take both individual titles.

Since then, Van Der Horst has used that experience to rack up a slew of top scores in competitions across Europe, and will definitely be out to prove that the Worlds was not a one-off.

Baker, on exciting new horse Sooki St James, will also be aiming to lay the crucial groundwork ahead of next year’s Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, which she says is now her number one focus.

German/Dutch face-off

Germany’s Hannelore Brenner and the Netherlands’ Sanne Voets will be going head-to-head in Grade III. Until the 2013 Europeans, Brenner had won pretty much every major championship she competed in, scoring straight golds at the 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games and the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010 in Kentucky (USA).

But that changed in 2013, when Voets took the European title in the freestyle, a feat she repeated at last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy.

Home advantage could well come into play this year too. France has its best chance of a Grade III medal at these Championships with José Letarte, who took double bronze at the 2013 Europeans.

Denmark’s Stinna Tange Kaastrup, former World Grade Ib champion and 2011 European freestyle gold medallist, scored double bronze at the 2013 Europeans. She will be looking to get back on top at the three-day FEI European Para-Dressage Championships 2013 in Deauville, France, which start tomorrow. (Liz Gregg/FEI)

Dutch courage

Belgium’s Michèle George is the rider to beat in the Grade IV competition, and Britain’s Sophie Wells will be out to do just that. Following World and European success in 2010 and 2011 respectively, Wells was hoping home advantage would swing things her way at London 2012, but it was not to be, and she took individual and freestyle silver behind George.

The pendulum swung back in Wells’ favour at the 2013 Europeans, but while the British athlete swept up three golds, setting the stage for a mighty battle in Normandy last year, it was George who topped the podium in Normandy, taking both titles in a thrilling competition.

The Netherlands’ Frank Hosmar is also a force to be reckoned with in Grade IV. He won individual and freestyle bronze at London 2012 and in Normandy last year, behind George and Wells, and double silver at the 2013 Europeans.

As with all the Dutch riders, the sense of imminent breakthrough at the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships 2015 is strong.

Facts & figures

75 athletes from 20 nations will compete at the FEI European Para-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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Rob Howell

Longines FEI European Eventing Championships: Fifteen Nations Head For The Highlands

Riders from 15 nations – 11 with full teams – are making their way north to the first ever Longines FEI European Eventing Championships to be held in Scotland, at the fairytale venue of Blair Castle (GBR), historic seat of the Dukes of Atholl.

There they are assured of a traditional Scottish welcome at the beautiful white castle in the Highlands and a big, bold Cross Country course designed by the 1991 European champion, Ian Stark (GBR).

The scene is set for a thrilling competition. The German team, who have now arrived with their team trainer Christopher Bartle at his Yorkshire base, are clear favourites. They may not have won a European team title in Britain since 1959, but they have captured every team title going since 2011 and are the defending champions.

“We are going with a lot of confidence,” said Ingrid Klimke (GER), a team gold medallist and individual silver medallist at Malmö (SWE) in 2013. “Everyone says that it’s beautiful there – and very hilly! We have all been very careful to get our horses as fit as possible.”

Klimke, who will ride her Badminton runner-up Horseware Hale Bob, continued: “It is quite something that we have come so far as a team [reigning Olympic and World champions], but it is also even harder to stay there! You only have to look at some of the surprising results at Burghley to see that anything can happen.”

Her team mates will include Michael Jung, the defending European and also reigning Olympic champion, who comes fresh from his Burghley win and will be riding FischerTakinou at Blair, and the world champions Sandra Auffarth and Opgun Louvo.

Great Britain have not been beaten on home soil in a Europeans since 1962, and they will not be giving up without a fight. As host nation, they can run 12 riders, which gives chances to field both very experienced riders and those having their first taste of a senior championship.

This will be a 19th senior championship for William Fox-Pitt, who already has six European team golds to his name, plus three individual medals. He is likely to be team anchor, on his 2014 Kentucky (USA) winner Bay My Hero, and will be backed up by Nicola Wilson, who is well known for her brilliant pathfinding on Opposition Buzz. She will be riding the classy One Two Many at Blair.

Pippa Funnell (GBR), back-to-back European champion in 1999-2001, also has great team experience and is sure to be at her most competitive on her exciting young horse Sandman 7, winner of the Chatsworth CIC3* and seventh at Bramham CCI3* (GBR) this year.

Michael Jung (GER) will be defending his team and individual title at the Longines FEI European Eventing Championships at Blair Castle in Scotland (GBR) this week. (Kit Houghton/FEI)

In addition to the medals contest, a number of nations will be seeking qualification for the Olympic Games in Rio next year. Germany, Britain and the Netherlands, the gold, silver and bronze team medallists at last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy (FRA), are already qualified, as are Ireland. However, France, who have yet to win a European team title, and Sweden, silver medallists in 2013, are among the countries that will be bidding for the two remaining places on the Rio 2016 start list still available to the European countries.

The 11 nations fielding full teams are Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland, with Austria, Denmark, Finland and Poland sending individuals.

Blair Castle has played host to international horse trials since 1989, including Junior and Young Rider European Championships, but relatively few European Championship contenders will have ridden there before. They need to have prepared themselves for steep hills, and fences shaped like Scottish features such as haggises, bothies, stags’ antlers and lochans.

“I have tried to create a Cross Country course that reflects the heritage of Scotland and provides a true test of horsemanship,” said Course Designer Ian Stark, for whom it is a first championship track. “I have used the hills as sympathetically as possible. Riders who attack the course but who ride intelligently and conserve their horses’ energy for the later combinations should enjoy a thrilling ride.”

Kate Green

Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015: Seven Teams Chasing Points At Round 19 In Arezzo

The 19th and final qualifier of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 season will take place in Arezzo, Italy on Friday 4 September, attracting a field of 13 teams.

The starting order, which was determined by a draw held in Arezzo today, will be as follows:

‎1. Brazil
2. Italy
3. Denmark
4. Germany
5. Ireland
6. Turkey
7. Norway
8. Poland
9. Belgium
10. Sweden
11. France
12. Slovenia
13. Czech Republic

This is the eighth and last leg of the Europe Division 2 League, and the teams from Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Turkey will be eligible for Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping points. A total of 16 nations have been competing in Europe Division 2 during the season, and two teams will qualify for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Final which will take place in Barcelona, Spain from 24 to 27 September.

Friday’s competition is scheduled to begin at 14.30 local time and will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official online video platform.

The FEI is providing a wide range of online information resources in connection with the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping.

FEI European Jumping Championships for Children, Juniors and Young Riders 2015

Riders from five different nations claimed gold at the FEI European Jumping Championships for Children, Juniors and Young Riders 2015 which drew to a close at Wiener Neustadt in Austria yesterday. Germany scooped both the Junior and Children’s team titles while Belgium topped the Young Riders team event.

Sweden’s Ebba Larsson was crowned individual Young Rider champion, Camille Conde Ferreira took Junior Individual gold for France and Ireland’s Jennifer Kuehnle stood on the top step of the podium in the Children’s individual Championship.

Young Riders

The Belgians were untouchable for the Young Riders team title when Jonas Vervoort and his 10-year-old gelding Delight 50 were the only ones to fault in either round, making a single mistake each time out for the discard. Michael van den Bosch (Atilja), Boy-Adrian van Gelderen (B Cool) and Pieter Clemens (Quality ll) all jumped clear. Clemens, who was on the silver medal winning team at the FEI Junior European Jumping Championships at Ebreichsdorf in Austria three years ago, is a cousin of the Philippaerts twins, Nicola and Olivier, who compete in the Belgian senior squad. The generational theme was prominent once again at this year’s fixture, with many of the young competitors following in the footsteps of close, and extended, family.

Germany, Ireland and Great Britain, all lying second with eight faults on the board, were left to battle it out in a third-round jump-off for silver and bronze. And the medals were decided by the clock in the end, when all three nations stayed clear. Germany’s Kaya Luthi (Pret a Tour), Niklas Krieg (Carella), Guido Klatte (Qinghai) and Maurice Tebbel (Chacco’s Son) posted the fastest combined time of 110.83 to take the silver while the Ireland’s Eoin McMahon (Prophan), Michael G Duffy (Felix), Jonathan Gordon (Fellini) and Michael Duffy (Miss Untouchable) were two seconds adrift when clinching bronze. The British were also foot-perfect, but missed the podium by almost three seconds. Silver medallists Krieg and Tebbel were members of Germany’s gold medal winning Young Riders’ side last year.

A total of 14 nations fielded teams and 78 riders from 22 countries battled it out for the individual medals.

The Belgians had to settle for the minor placings in the individual championship in which Sweden’s Ebba Larsson and the KWPN gelding, Waterford, reigned supreme. Larsson, who will turn 20 next weekend, finished 11th in the first qualifier won by fellow-Swede Elina Petersson (Canasta Z), and then sixth in the second individual competition which also decided the team medals.

She was the only one to jump double-clear on the Swedish team that finished eighth, and when she produced yet another double-clear yesterday with her 12-year-old horse which is by Coolcorran Cool Diamond, the stallion ridden to great success by Irish Chef d’Equipe Robert Splaine, then she finished well ahead of Germany’s Kaya Luthi who took silver medal spot with Pret a Tour for the second year in a row and Guido Klatte who claimed bronze with Qinghai.

Juniors

The Germans had it all their own way in the Junior team championship however, winning outright with an eight-fault scoreline after the first two rounds. They shared the lead with the defending champions from Britain and Irish at the halfway stage on zero, but were obliged to add eight faults when Christoph Maack (Dyleen), Philip Houston (Kannella) and Leonie Kreig (Champerlo) all returned four-fault results second time out. Theresa Ripke’s double-clear with Calmado meant they could drop one of the single errors however, so with gold already in their grasp they watched from the sidelines as the Irish and British, each carrying 12 faults, battled it out for the other two sets of medals.

And the Irish rallied brilliantly, Philip Carey who picked up 20 faults over the first two rounds staying clear this time out with Belle Rock while Susan Fitzpatrick (Cavalino) and Anna Carway (Ajaccio) were also fault-free. Fourth-line rider, Cormac Hanley (Caracter), didn’t need to return to the ring and Carway was the only competitor to produce three clear rounds in the team event.

Pathfinder, Faye Adams (Zozo CL), made no mistake against the clock for Great Britain, but single errors from Harry Charles (Vivaldi du Dom), 16-year-old son of London 2012 Olympic team gold medallist Peter Charles, and from 2014 Children’s individual champion Robert Murphy (Del Fuego) added eight more to the British tally to leave them on 20 and with no reason for anchor rider and 2014 team gold medallist Millie Allen (Balou Star) to run, because the podium placings were already settled.

It was Camille Conde Ferreira, a member of the fifth-placed French side, who claimed the individual Junior title with Pirole de la Chatre. The 16-year-old, who won team gold and individual bronze in the Children’s Championship at Vejar de la Frontera, Spain in 2013, finished ninth on the opening day when Switzerland’s Emilie Paillot came out on top with Caja. Conde Ferreira then jumped double-clear in the team competition and yesterday won through despite a pole down in the closing stages. And British team members scooped both of the other two medals, Harry Charles snatching the silver ahead of Millie Allen in bronze.

(L to R) Young Rider medallists Kaya Luthi from Germany (silver), Ebba Larsson from Sweden (gold) and Guido Klatte from Germany (bronze) at the FEI European Jumping Championships for Children, Juniors and Young Riders 2015 at Wiener Neustadt, Austria. (FEI/Hervé Bonnaud)

Children

Riders carried their results from the first individual qualifier into the Children’s team event in which Germany won through once again ahead of Britain in silver and Poland in bronze.

Britain, Italy and France shared the lead when starting the team competition on a zero score, and the French looked really strong when adding nothing more to their scoreline at the end of the first round. Round two was limited to the top 10 of the 21 competing nations, and it was here that the French lost their grip when putting eight faults on the board.

Carrying just a single time fault, the Germans were lying in wait. Beeke Carstensen (Venetzia) – a member of the 2014 bronze medal winning German side – Hannes Ahlmann (Sunsalve) and Calvin Bockmann (Carvella Z) all went clear in the second round when Roth Britt’s four faults with Casablanca 84 was the drop-score and they finished on an unassailable single penalty point to take the gold. The British snatched silver when India Bussey (Westwinds Ego), Hallie Lunn (Brookwood Supersonic), Oliver Fletcher (Little Business) and Lottie Tutt (Babylon) completed with four faults and that left Poland and Italy to jump-off for bronze.

The Italians had collected one time-fault in the opening round of the team competition and then added four more, so they were on level pegging with the Polish side who stayed clear in both rounds of the team competition but had to carry five faults from first individual qualifier. And it was a clear-cut result, Dalia Lehmann (Quitoki), Wiktoria Glowacka (Aronia), Filip Lewicki (Codetia VDL) and Aleksandra Boklo (Dragon) collecting just four faults in the jump-off score while the Italians collected 12 to miss the podium.

Ireland’s Jennifer Kuehnle and Chaitanya 2 went into a four-way jump-off against Germany’s Carstensen, Bockmann and Piet Menke (Cesha Old) for the individual title. And the 13-year-old Irish girl showed the rest a clean pair of heels when posting a time of 34.07 seconds that pinned Bockmann into silver and Menke into bronze. Carstensen was unfortunately eliminated.

Both of the top two riders are multi-talented, also competing in the discipline of Eventing, and 14-year-old Bockmann has every reason to celebrate his summer as his Jumping silver medal comes just two weeks after he earned individual gold at the FEI European Eventings Championships 2015 in Malmo, Sweden.

Results

FEI European Jumping Championships for Children, Juniors and Young Riders 2015:

Young Rider Team Championship: GOLD – Belgium 0 faults: Delight 50 (Jonas Vervoort) 4/4, Atilja (Michael van den Bosch) 0/0, Be Cool (Boy-Adrian van Gelderen) 0/0, Quality ll (Pieter Clemens) 0/0; SILVER – Germany 8 faults/J-Off 0/110.83: Pret a Tout (Kaya Luthi) 0/4/4, Carella 5 (Niklas Krieg) 0/4/0, Qinghai (Guido Klatte) 0/4/0, Chacco’s Son (Maurice Tebbel) 0/0/0; BRONZE – Ireland 8 faults/J-Off 0/112.99: Prophan (Eoin McMahon) 4/16/0, Felix (Michael G Duffy) 0/8/0, Miss Untouchable (Michael Duffy) 0/0/0, Felini (Jonathan Gordon) 0/0/4.

Young Rider Individual Championship: GOLD – Waterford (Ebba Larsson) SWE 2.60; SILVER – Pret a Tout (Kaya Luthi) GER 6.10; BRONZE – Qinghai (Guido Klatte) GER 7.57.

Junior Team Championship: GOLD – Germany 8 faults: Dyleen (Christoph Maack) 0/4, Calmado (Theresa Ripke) 0/0, Kannella (Philip Houston (Kannella) 4/4, Champerlo (Leonie Krieg) 0/4; SILVER – Ireland 12 faults/J-Off 0/115.02; Belle Rock (Philip Carey) 4/16/0, Cavalino (Susan Fitzpatrick) 0/4/0, Ajaccio (Anna Carway) 0/0/0, Caracter (Cormac Hanley) 0/8/DNS; BRONZE – Great Britain 20 faults/J-Off 8/115.14; Zozo CL (Faye Adams) 0/4/0, Vivaldi du Dom (Harry Charles) 0/4/4, Del Fuego (Robert Murphy) 4/8/4, Balou Star (Millie Allen) 0/4/DNS.

Junior Individual Championship: GOLD – Pirole de la Chatre (Camille Conde Ferreira) FRA 6.94; SILVER – Vivaldi du Dom (Harry Charles) GBR 7.50; BRONZE – Balou Star (Millie Allen) GBR 9.67.

Children’s Team Championship: GOLD – Germany 1 fault: Venetzia (Beeke Carstensen) 0/0/0, Sunsalve (Hannes Ahlmann) 1,0/0, Casablanca 84 (Britt Roth) 15,0/4, Carvella Z (Calvin Bockmann) 0/0/0; SILVER – Great Britain 4 faults: Westwinds Ego (India Bussey) 0/8/0, Brookwood Supersonic (Hallie Lunn) 0/4/0, Little Business (Oliver Fletcher) 1,0,0, Babylon (Lottie tutt) 0/0/4: BRONZE – Poland 5 faults/J-Off 4/105.35: Quitoki (Dalia Lehmann) 0/0/0, Aronia (Wiktoria Glowacka) 1/08, Codetia VDL (Filip Lewicki) 4/4/0, Dragon (Aleksandra Bolko) 6/0/0.

Children’s Individual Championship: GOLD – Chaitanya 2 (Jennifer Kuehnle) IRL 0/0/0 34.07: SILVER – Carvella Z (Calvin Bockmann) 0/0/0 35.34: BRONZE – Cesha Old (Piet Menke) GER 0/0/0 37.08.

China, Serbia and Japan atop of the ISSF podium…

China, Serbia and Japan atop of the ISSF podium on the second-last day of the ISSF World Cup in Gabala…

Two Chinese teammates, Hui and Zhu, made it to the medals at the men’s 50m Rifle 3 Position event. Serbia’s pistol champion Zorana Arunovic pocketed the 10m Air Pistol Women gold, but said it was not a consolation for missing the Olympic quota earlier this week. In the last match of the day, it was Japan’s Nakayama who led the Trap women final to the last shot.

The People’s Republic of China seems to be unstoppable, at the ISSF World Cup in Gabala, ranking atop of the intermediate medal standing at the end of the second-last day of competitions, after 14 out of 15 events contested, far ahead of the United States.

China rockets atop of the medal standings of the ISSF World Cup in Gabala

Team China secured two more medals today – a gold and a bronze. Hui Zicheng (26) finished atop of the men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions podium, leaving Austria Alexander Schmirl (25) in second, and his teammate Zhu Qinan (30) in third. Hui started-off the medal-match with one of the lowest kneeling position’s scores among the finalists, 150.0 points, but then climbed up through the prone position (306.0 points), just to give his best in the standing series, pocketing the gold with 459.8 points.

His teammate Zhu – the reigning world champion – was in the lead right until the second-last shot. Then, he fired a frustrating 7.0, sliding down in third place, where he closed the match with 446.8 points and the bronze medal. Austria’s Schmirl took advantage of Zhu’s mistake, moving up in second place, securing the silver medal with 457.9 points.

“This is the result of long trainings. Gabala’s has been a great competition, I feel really good now.” Hui said. “I am just trying to be myself through the competition, and to do my best. I am also a bit lucky, which helps. I will keep on fighting to stay on top!”

Fedor Vlasov of the Russian Federation (31) won the first Rio 2016 quota up for grabs, finishing in fifth place with 426.7 points. India’s first-time finalist Chain Singh (26) claimed the second quota spot, as he finished in eighth with 403.7 points.

10m Air Pistol Women Final

At the following 10m Air Rifle Women final, Serbia’s Zorana Arunovic pocketed another gold here in Azerbaijan after her victory at the first European Games in Baku. Arunovic shot consistently through the final, climbing the scoreboard up to the lead with 199.0 points. China’s 2014 junior world champion Lin Yuemei (21) finished in second place with 197.7 points, while Tien Chia Chen of Chinese Taipei (31), took bronze with 177.7.

Arunovic’s was a bitter-sweet victory, though. The 28-year old Serbian shooter – a two-time finalist at the 2012 Olympics – did not manage to secure a Rio 2016 Olympic quota, which was her main goal here in Gabala. “I was really disappointed with my results in the 25m Pistol event,” she said. Arunovic indeed placed in 48th at the 25m Pistol Women event four days ago, on August 10. “My teammates already have two Rio 2016 quotas in the air pistol event, and I am out of quota place, so I was focusing more on the 25-meter event, hoping to get one there. But I did really really bed. So I tried to make at least a good impression at today’s event,” added the Serbian shooter.

Rio 2016 Quota places went to the 1996 Olympic champ Olga Kousnetsova (46), who nailed the fourth place with 156.0 points, to France’s Celine Goberville, 7th with 96.6 points, and to Klaisuban Pim On of Thailand, who placed 11th – out of the final – with 382 points in the qualifications.

China, Serbia and Japan atop ISSF podium at ISSF World Cup in Gabala

Trap Women Final

Japan’s Yukie Nakayama won the gold at the women’s trap event, later in the afternoon. The 36-year old shooter also secured an Olympic quota for her country as she came atop the podium. Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yi Chun, the silver medalist, won the event’s other quota.

Nakayama closed the semi-final with no misses, entering the gold medal match with 15 hits. In the final medal match against Lin, Nakayama hit 14 out of her 15 targets.

USA’s Corey Cogdell won the bronze as she beat Italy’s Jessica Rossi in a shoot-off. Cogdell (28) and Rossi (23) were tied at the end of the bronze medal match as they had both hit 12 targets. In the following shoot-off, Cogdell beat Rossi by 5 hits to 4 hits.

The event changed its course as Russia’s Elena Tkach was disqualified due to cartridge overweight at the end of the semi-final, and moved down to 6th place. After the semifinal, Tkach (45) was supposed to face Lin in a shoot-off to decide who would enter the gold medal match. But as Tkach was disqualified, Lin automatically joined Nakayama in the gold medal match.

“I got the quota place,” said Nakayama, “that means Olympic Games. I’m very happy. It was very important this time to get a quota place.”

The ISSF World Cup in Gabala continues tomorrow, August 15 – at 18:15 local time (GMT+5), as the men’s Trap final will close the world cup stage.

FEI European Championships Aachen 2015: Europe’s Best Reiners Gather In Aachen For FEI European Reining Championships 2015

Europe’s best reiners are in Aachen, Germany, for the FEI European Reining Championships 2015, nine years after the hugely successful competitions were held in the framework of the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2006.

Athletes representing 10 nations – Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden – will be vying for the coveted FEI medals.

Some 40 horse-and-rider combinations will enter the arena when the team competition and the first individual qualifier kicks off on Friday, 14 August, at 10.00 CEST.

All the nations, with the exception of Austria, will be competing with full teams including the defending champions from Germany who took team gold on home ground in Augsburg in 2013.

On Saturday 15 August, the second individual qualifier will begin at 18.15 CEST.

The second qualifier will give riders who did not make it in the first qualifier a chance to participate in the individual competition.

Closing the Championships will be the individual finals on Sunday, 16 August at 10.00 CEST, when the Individual FEI medals will be awarded.

Champions past and present

Europe’s best horses and riders have qualified to represent their country in this year’s FEI European Reining Championships. In the last held two years ago, team Germany composed of Alexander Ripper/Wild At The Bar; Grisha Ludwig/Custom Del Cielo; Volker Schmitt/Smokin Mifillena; Sylvia Rzepka/Hot Smokin Chex – took the gold. Grisha Ludwig and Volker Schmitt will be back next week to defend the title riding their 2013 mounts.

Team Italy consisting of Massimiliano Ruggeri/Spat Split And White; Pierluigi Fabbri/Rooster Nic; Giuseppe Prevosti/Chic Magnetic; and Mirko Piazzi/Cody Glo Phoebes claimed the silver. Fabbri will be back riding Broadway Jaba.

Team Austria – Rudi Kronsteiner/Whizoom; Tina Kuenstner-Mantl/Heza Sure Whiz; Martin Muhlstatter/Chic N Roost – completed the podium claiming the bronze. Returning for Austria is Tina Kuestner Mantl who will be competing as an individual riding Nu Chexomatic. She will be joined by fellow countryman Klaus Lechner also competing individually aboard Cody Rooster Delmaso.

Germany’s Alex Ripper riding Wild At The Bar took individual gold at the last FEI European Reining Championships in 2013. (Art&Light/FEI)

Alex Ripper of Germany riding Wild At The Bar took individual gold in 2013. Belgium’s Cira Baeck aboard Colonels Shining Gun were runners up.

In 2013, bronze medal honors went to Germany’s Grisha Ludwig and Custom del Cielo.

Joining Europe’s best reiners will be Dutch Dressage great Anky van Grunsven who will be on team Netherlands riding her own Whizashinningwalla BB.

For more information on the FEI European Championships 2015 in Aachen visit http://www.aachen2015.de.

Simona Diale

FEI European Championships Aachen 2015: Record Team Entry For Jumping Championships

Riders from a bigger spread of nations than ever before will line out when the FEI European Jumping Championships 2015 get underway in Aachen, Germany next week. A new high was reached when the list of definite Jumping entries was confirmed today, and a massive 28 nations will be represented, while 23 countries will field teams and five will send individuals.

The full list of nations is Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine.

This is the 32nd edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships, and the fifth time for the event to take place at Aachen. The inaugural FEI European Jumping Championship was held in Rotterdam (NED) in 1957 when German legend, Hans Gunther Winkler, claimed the title. Only individuals competed in the early editions, but as soon as the team event was introduced at Munich (GER) in 1975, Germany laid claim to that too. The German record in these championships is second to none, with 14 individual and seven team titles to their credit.

Defending the team title

However it is the British who will be defending the team title they won in Herning, Denmark two years ago when the action gets underway on Wednesday 19 August, while Frenchman Roger Yves Bost returns as defending individual champion. The British have a strong record at the Europeans, with six individual and five team titles already on the record books. Their 2013 victory came hot on the heels of their gold-medal-winning performance at the London 2012 Olympic Games, but this time around they will be without their world no 1 rider Scott Brash who was a critical member of that successful side. Michael Whitaker steps up to the challenge once again however as does Ben Maher, while the veteran Guy Williams, Joe Clee and the relative newcomer Jessica Mendoza complete the pack. The British broke a 60-year drought when winning Olympic team gold in 2012, yet they still haven’t managed to qualify for Rio 2016. So, along with many others, they will really be feeling the heat next week when the final team qualification is up for grabs.

Despite fielding a typically formidable side, Germany had to settle for silver last time around, so Christian Ahlmann, Ludger Beerbaum, Daniel Deusser, Janne Friederike Meyer and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum will be hoping to restore normal order, especially on home ground. Sweden took bronze in 2013, and Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Douglas Lindelow, Helena Persson, Henrik von Eckermann and Charlotte Mordanini will be hoping to put their country back on that podium. The Irish are in fighting form and completely focused on claiming one of the three Olympic qualifying spots available, but with so many others including the Belgians and the Swiss chasing the same goal it will be no easy feat.

There will be no place to hide from the moment the first individual qualifier begins, because every single jump will count in the battle for both the FEI European Jumping Championships 2015 titles and one of those coveted tickets for Rio.

Individual honours

Roger Yves Bost was only the fifth French rider ever to claim the individual European honours two years ago. Great Britain’s Ben Maher went into the final competition with the narrowest of leads, but a fence down saw him having to settle for silver ahead of team-mate Scott Brash who rose from overnight 10th place to take bronze when producing the only double-clear performance of the day.

Bost was following in famous footsteps, as the list of previous French champions included Pierre Durand and the legendary Jappeloup who first topped the podium at St Gallen (SUI) in 1987, Eric Navet who reigned supreme on home turf at La Baule (FRA) in 1991, Alexandra Ledermann and Rochet M – the first woman ever to take the title – who headed the line-up in Hickstead (GBR) in 1999 and Kevin Staut and Kraque Boom who were winners in Windsor (GBR) in 2009. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum is the only other female champion, pipping Belgium’s Jos Lansink in a thriller at Mannheim (GER) in 2007 during the peak of her partnership with the great Shutterfly. And in the fabulous grey Fibonacci, the American-born German rider has found an extraordinarily talented replacement, so she cannot be overlooked once the action kicks off.

However 96 riders will be carrying all their hopes and dreams onto the hallowed turf of the Soers arena at Aachen in seven days’ time, and these Championships, which have turned up some of the most memorable moments of this great sport down the years, promise plenty of drama and excitement before the 2015 champions are crowned.

Rules and Competition Format

Wednesday 19th August – First qualifying competition, individuals and teams. Table C (penalties turned into seconds added), fence height 1.50m, open to all athletes and horses declared as starters in the team and individual championship. Starting order decided by a draw.

Following this first competition the scores obtained by each athlete will be converted into points. The athlete with the lowest number of points will be given zero penalties.

Thursday 20th August – Round 1 of team competition, second individual competition. Table A, 1.60, open to all athletes who took part in the first competition. Individuals go first.

Friday 21st August – Team competition final and third individual competition. Table A, not against the clock, 1.60m. Open to the top 50 individuals who carry penalties forward from first individual qualifier and round 1 of the team event. Open to the top 10 teams following the previous day’s competition, including those tied for 10th place. In case of equality of points there will be a jump-off for the team medal positions.

Sunday 23rd August – Individual final open to 25 best-places athletes and horses including ties for 25th place. Two different 1.60m courses will be jumped, with 10-12 obstacles in round A and 8-10 obstacles in round B. Competitors will start in reverse order of merit in both rounds. Individual medals will be determined by adding together penalties from the first competition, the two rounds of the team competition and the two rounds of the final competition.

The British topped the team podium for the first time in 24 years when coming out on top at the PSI FEI European Team Jumping Championship in Herning, Denmark two years ago. This time around they will be chasing not only a back-to-back double, but also one of the three Olympic qualifying spots on offer at the FEI European Championships in Aachen, Germany. (L to R) The 2013 gold medal winning team of Scott Brash, Will Funnell, Chef d’Equipe Rob Hoekstra, Michael Whitaker and Ben Maher. (FEI/Kit Houghton)

Facts and Figures:

The FEI European Jumping Championships begin on Wednesday 19 August and run through to the individual final on Sunday 23 August.

Competitors from 28 nations will participate.

23 countries have entered teams.

5 nations will be represented by individual riders.

A total of 96 horse-and-rider combinations are listed in the definite entries (11 August 2015).

This is the 32nd edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships, and the fifth time for the event to take place in Aachen.

The inaugural FEI European Jumping Championship took place in Rotterdam (NED) in 1957.

Only individuals competed in the early Championships. The team event was first introduced at Munich (GER) in 1975.

Back-to-back individual champions – Great Britain’s David Broome with Mr Softee at Rotterdam (NED) in 1967 and Hickstead (GBR) in 1969.

Back-to-back triple champions – Germany’s Paul Schockemohle and Deister at Munich (GER) in 1981, Hickstead (GBR) in 1983 and Dinard (FRA) in 1985.

Germany holds the record for the biggest number of individual victories with 14 in total over the last 58 years.

Germany also holds the record for the greatest number of wins in the team event, with seven to date.

Only one horse has ever won the individual European Jumping title with two different riders – the Irish-bred Mr Softee who claimed gold for David Barker in 1962 and then produced back-to-back victories for fellow-Briton David Broome in 1967 and 1969.

Defending champions are the British who produced their fifth win at the last Championships staged in Herning, Denmark in 2013.

For more information on the FEI European Championships 2015 in Aachen visit http://www.aachen2015.de.

Top 241 Boxers From 42 Countries Descend Upon Samokov, Bulgaria For The European Confederation Boxing Championships

The EUBC European Confederation Boxing Championships kick-off in Samokov, Bulgaria today as one of the first five AIBA Confederation Boxing Championships taking place across the globe this summer.

A high class field of ten men’s weight classes will compete for gold medal glory. There is additional significance for this year’s tournament, as it will also act as a qualification event for the Doha 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships. The best six athletes per weight class will secure their place in October’s World Championships and the top 60 boxers in the Championships will earn quotas for Doha 2015.

“EUBC European Confederation Boxing Championships represent the ultimate step to qualify to AIBA World Boxing Championships 2015, where the best boxers from all over the world will compete for the ultimate boxing glory. Samokov, Bulgaria is the perfect stage to showcase the best European boxers in front of thousands of passionate boxing fans”, said AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu.

241 elite men’s boxers from 42 nations are on the entry list, which demonstrates the vitality of boxing due to the high importance of the event. Among the most established nations, Russia have taken a highly decorated team, while the strong Ukrainian squad has an average age of just 21-years-old.

Developing boxing nations including Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cyprus, F.Y.R. of Macedonia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro and Slovenia all compete with their biggest squads ever, while Netherlands have named a five-strong team with great expectations including Enrico La Cruz, Max Van der Pas and Peter Mullenberg. They will have a chance to compete against the traditional boxing nations, such as Germany, Italy, France and the UK.

Franco Falcinelli, President of European Boxing Confederation said: “I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the organization of this event, especially the Bulgarian Boxing Federation, the Local Organizing Committee, governmental and institutional support. Their excellent work and dedication has made these Championships a reality, for which EUBC is very grateful“.

The first European Continental Championships were held at the Paris 1924 Olympic Games, where the best boxers of the region also became European Champions. European legends such as Hungary’s Laszlo Papp, Lithuania’s Algirdas Socikas, Poland’s Zbigniew Pietrzykowski, Germany’s Henry Maske, Armenia’s Vladimir Yengibaryan, Russia’s Valeriy Popenchenko, Italy’s Francesco Damiani and Bulgaria’s Daniel Petrov all won titles in this competition which were significant highlights of their golden careers.