FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2015/2016 – Round 1: Jäiser And Kaiser Come Out On Top At Opening Leg In Madrid

Switzerland’s Simone Jäiser and Germany’s Daniel Kaiser got their FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2015/2016 campaigns off to the perfect start when coming out on top at the opening round of the five-leg series in Madrid, Spain tonight.

All but one of the athletes starting at this first event competed on borrowed horses, with French vaulter, Anne Sophie Musset, the only one to travel with her own trusty steed, Papillon de Laume and lunger Daniele Agnus. But the rest coped remarkably well with unknown horses and lungers, and Jäiser and Kaiser really rose to the challenge to reign supreme in the Individual Female and Male competitions respectively.

Not the smoothest

It was not the smoothest of victories for Jäiser, who had to settle for runner-up spot in yesterday’s first test won by Isabel Fiala. The 22-year-old Austrian, who with her own horse Catman 2 and lunger Christina Stieglitz was a winner at CVI3* in Pezinok, Slovakia in June, scored 8.214 to take pole position with Rubin Royal 20, the 14-year-old gelding that competed for the Spanish Squad at this summer’s FEI European Championships in Aachen, Germany.

Jäiser, individual gold medallist in Aachen, was partnered with the 21-year-old Simbal and lunger Diane Fraser when scoring 7.807 for second place, while Musset lined up third on 6.934 and Austria’s Daniela Fritz, also vaulting with Simbal, finished fourth on a mark of 6.383.

Musset produced tonight’s top mark of 7.995, but Jaiser’s second-place score of 7.978 was good enough to overtake Fiala in the final rankings, the Austrian vaulter’s 7.761 leaving her trailing by 0.387 for third place in the second competition.

“I’m happy!” said Jäiser afterwards, “especially considering I was riding a new horse that I only jumped on one day before the World Cup began! It wasn’t easy for any of us but in the end I had a good feeling” she added. The experienced 29-year-old who hails from Zurich said she “missed some little highlights” in her performance because she felt she didn’t want to to take too many risks on a horse she didn’t know, but she was delighted to collect her first points in the series. And she’s now looking ahead to picking up some more, at the third leg of the series in Salzburg, Austria in a weeks‘ time and in Mechelen, Belgium in December.

Contrast

In contrast, Kaiser threw down the winning score last night and returned to top the line-up again this evening for an indisputable victory. In fact all three placings remained the same, with Switzerland’s Lukas Heppler lining up second on both occasions and Italy’s Francesco Bortoletto finishing third.

Kaiser also partnered with the 21-year-old Simbal and lunger Diane Fraser, and although the mark of 6.980 awarded by Austrian judge Anita Flamand Prochaska for his work with the horse was not the highest tonight, the technical marks of 9.266 and 8.593 awarded by Austria’s Elisabeth Mueliner and The Netherlands’ Rob de Bruin and the artistic score of 7.890 from Czech Republic’s Dalibor Blazek reflected a very polished performance.

The 29-year-old German, whose vaulting career has been interrupted by injury, was really pleased with his result. “It’s my first time to compete in the World Cup since the Final in my home town of Leipzig in 2011, so this win is very special for me!” he said. He was very grateful to the people who supplied horses for the competitors, but he wasn’t on completely unknown territory in Madrid.

“I came here to this show last year to give a vaulting demonstration – to come back and win in competition makes me very proud and happy!” he said. Kaiser has been vaulting since he was just six years of age. “This sport is very important in my life, and I really enjoy it as much as ever”, he pointed out. He knew it would be a challenge to compete on an unknown horse, but he was determined to put on his best show for the spectators.

He’s going to be a busy man before the third leg in Salzburg next week because the vaulter is also a professional photographer and will be flying back from a shoot in Dubai in order to compete. “I’m hoping to compete in Mechelen and in Leipzig as well, because I really want to qualify for the final!” he pointed out.

Leap of faith! Germany’s Daniel Kaiser partnered a borrowed horse, the 21-year-old Simbal, to clinch victory in the Individual Male category at the opening leg of the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2015/2016 season in Madrid, Spain tonight. (FEI/Herve Bonnaud)

Meanwhile the second leg of the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2015/2016 series kicked off in Paris, France tonight and will conclude tomorrow evening.

For further information on the first leg of the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2015/2016 series in Madrid, Spain go to http://www.madridhorseweek.com

Results FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2015/2016 – Round 1, Madrid (ESP):

Female Individual: 1, Simone Jäiser (SUI) 7.893; 2, Isabel Fiala (AUT) 7.506; 3, Anne Sophie Musset (FRA) 7.465; 4, Daniela Fritz (AUT) 6.823.

Male Individual: 1, Daniel Kaiser (GER) 8.054; 2, Lukas Heppler (SUI) 7.555; 3, Francesco Bortoletto (ITA) 6.294.

Louise Parkes

Paris And Madrid Get New FEI World Cup™ Vaulting Season Off To Flying Start

There is great anticipation as the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2015/2016 season gets underway with a double-bill of events in Paris (FRA) and Madrid (ESP) next weekend. This sport, which has grown massively in terms of public and media support and appeal in recent years, will be showcased over five qualifying rounds this winter, and the stars will be out in force when the action gets underway in Madrid on Thursday evening.

Vaulting demands outstanding physical fitness from the athletes and a harmonious relationship with the horse that carries them through their routine. Mounting and dismounting, shoulder and handstands, kneeling and standing exercises and carrying or lifting another vaulter are just some of the tests. The key to success is a lot of hard work and dedication along with artistic flair and gymnastic ability. And team-work is also crucial, with a lunger ensuring the horse maintains a steady canter on a circle no smaller than 15 metres.

At its best, Vaulting is a joy to watch, with grace, energy, power and discipline combined with a huge sense of drama and entertainment. The buzz of excitement created in the Vaulting arena at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy (FRA) last year was unforgettable, and indoor audiences will enjoy lots more of the same over the months to come.

Three categories

There are three categories of competition in the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting series, Individual Male, Individual Female and Pas-de-Deux.

The Female line-up is headed by Switzerland’s Simone Jaiser who claimed individual gold at the FEI European Vaulting Championships in Aachen (GER) this summer. The 29-year-old, who was individual bronze medalist at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy (FRA), clinched it with a performance that oozed comfort, confidence and class, and she will be the one to beat when the first of the two Freestyle competitions kicks off at 19.00 local time at the Spanish venue on Thursday.

Also lining out in the Female division will be Austria’s Isabel Fiala and Daniela Fritz, while French vaulter, 30-year-old Anne-Sophie Musset, who was a winner at CVIO4* Saumur (FRA) in April and runner-up at the CVI3* in Moorsele (BEL) in May, will be hoping to put the pressure on Jaiser. The Swiss athlete, her lunger Rita Blieske and her horse Luk have enjoyed a fabulous year with wins at Moorsele, Bern (SUI) and Wiesbaden (GER) in the lead-up to Aachen however, so is firm favourite at the opening leg.

Strong contenders

The Individual Male competition in Madrid has attracted three strong contenders including Switzerland’s Lukas Heppler who just missed a medal when finishing fourth at the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2015 Final in Graz (AUT) earlier this year and another 22-year-old, Italy’s Francesco Bortoletto who was individually sixth at last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Caen (FRA).

At 29 years of age, Germany’s Daniel Kaiser has a lot more experience under his belt however, and the vaulter who came out on top at Ermelo (NED) in August and who has a European bronze medal in his trophy cabinet, will be putting the pressure on his younger opponents.

At the same time as the second and deciding competitions take place at the Spanish fixture, the first of the two Freestyle competitions will be getting underway in Paris on Friday evening. And with The Netherlands’ Clair de Ridder and Carole Sneekes, Switzerland’s Pascale Wagner and Nadja Buttiker and Italy’s Anna Cavallaro all vying for the Female honours this is going to be another hard-fought affair.

20.-21.02.2015, Graz / AUT, FEI World Cup Vaulting Final.
Wild, Lisa
Nina Rossin
Robin 482
Foto: Daniel Kaiser – impressions

A real battle

And Paris promises a real battle in the Male division, with Czech Republic’s Lukas Klouda, Hungary’s Balazs Bence and Switzerland’s Andrin Muller taking on the host nation’s Clement Taillez and Vincent Haennel.

French spectators truly love this sport, and especially the emotion of the Pas-de-Deux. America’s Kimberly and Cassidy Palmer have enjoyed a spectacular year, with four CVI victories to their credit, and Germany’s Jolina Ossenberg-Engles and Timo Gerdes, who missed out on a spot at the European Championships this year, will be doing their very best to please the judges knowing that the French brother-and-sister duo of Lucie and Simon Chevrel will have the home crowd right behind them.

The FEI World Cup™ Vaulting season will continue with legs in Salzburg (AUT) on 4 and 5 December, at Mechelen (BEL) on 26 December and in Leipzig (GER) from 14 to 16 January.

All competitors have had to qualify for entry to the series so top-class competition can be expected, and the excitement is just about to begin…..

“We look forward to the start of this new World Cup season in a discipline which has now secured its place at the forefront of equestrian sport, and we are very pleased to welcome two new venues, Madrid and Mechelen, to the series this year”, says FEI Director for Driving, Reining and Vaulting, Bettina de Rham.

Louise Parkes