Germany’s Kristina Bröring-Sprehe (GER) and Desperados FRH, team silver medalists at the London 2012 Olympic Games, have taken over the world Dressage number one slot, relegating British duo Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro.
Bröring-Sprehe (29) and the 15-year-old Hannoverian stallion Desperados FRH have jumped to the top of the FEI World Dressage Rankings for the first time in their career, breaking the 30-month reign of Dujardin and Valegro.
Bröring-Sprehe, who also secured team gold and individual bronze at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 with Desperados FRH, represented Dressage athletes around the world last November when International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach visited the FEI’s Headquarters in Lausanne (SUI), the Olympic capital.
Knowing how important gender equality is to the Olympic movement, she told Thomas Bach how proud she was to be a female Olympic athlete.
(left) Kristina Bröring-Sprehe (GER), team silver medalist at the London 2012 Olympic Games, is the new world Dressage number one with Desperados FRH. Bröring-Sprehe is pictured here with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach during his visit to FEI Headquarters in Lausanne (SUI) last November. (Liz Gregg/FEI)
“Equestrian is the only Olympic sport where men and women compete against each other for medals in all the disciplines,” she said at the time. “It’s only when you get a bit older that you realise just how special this is, and it’s one of the many reasons why equestrian sport is so popular with women of all ages.”
Bröring-Sprehe and Desperados FRH now have a 68-point lead over Dujardin and Valegro, with fellow German and four-time team gold Olympic medallist Isabell Werth in third place with Don Johnson FRH on 2,428 points.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach commented favourably today on the high level of compliance in equestrian sport with the 40 recommendations in Olympic Agenda 2020 during an official visit to the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) headquarters in Lausanne (SUI), the Olympic capital.
“Olympic Agenda 2020 is the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement and it is impressive to see how compliant the FEI and equestrian sport already are with many of the recommendations”, President Bach said. “We have targeted gender equality as a key goal of Agenda 2020 and equestrian sport has always been at the forefront on this, with men and women competing against each other for the medals.”
“Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic movement since 1912 and the growth of the sport has been phenomenal, but it is good to know that the FEI was already working on a number of these areas, including good governance and a full review of the competition formats, even before we rolled out Agenda 2020. The sport touches many cultures and people of all ages and I have great admiration for what equestrian athletes achieve through the unique relationship between horse and rider, it’s truly awe-inspiring.”
During a presentation to the IOC President, FEI President Ingmar De Vos stressed how the FEI and equestrian sport are proactively embracing Olympic Agenda 2020. “We see it as an invitation to continue on the path we are already on to grow and develop the sport, a launch pad to further improve our sport and make it relevant in the modern sporting climate. We are confident that we tick many of the Agenda 2020 boxes, and we’re working hard to add the tick to the missing ones. We are pushing the boundaries, while respecting the traditions of our sport.”
Ingmar De Vos explained how the ongoing review of the competition formats, in full consultation with the member National Federations, athletes and stakeholders, is aimed at making equestrian sport more dynamic, easier to understand, and accessible for a wider fan base and for youth audiences. Sport presentation is also key and the FEI is continuing to work on development and further expansion of broadcast coverage of equestrian events.
President Bach, German team gold medallist in fencing at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, also met with three fellow Olympians – China’s youngest Olympic Eventer Alex Hua Tian, German Dressage rider Kristina Bröring-Sprehe, team silver medalist at London 2012, and Brazilian Jumping athlete Pedro Veniss, who is bidding to make a return to the Olympic stage on home soil in Rio. And there was a surprise equine athlete, the Spanish stallion Sarango, who greeted Thomas Bach and the athletes during the visit to FEI HQ.
President Bach and the IOC delegation met with FEI President Ingmar De Vos and FEI Secretary General Sabrina Zeender on the date marking 275 days to go to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The IOC delegation also included Director General Christophe de Kepper, Pierre Fratter-Bardy, Head of Summer Sports, and Mark Adams, Director of Communications.
FEI 1st Vice President and Chair of the FEI Jumping Committee John Madden, FEI Executive Board member and Chair of the FEI Dressage Committee Frank Kemperman, and Giuseppe Della Chiesa, Chair of the FEI Eventing Committee were also part of the FEI delegation that met the IOC President.
Straight from the horse’s mouth: International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach was greeted at Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Headquarters by the stallion Sarango after meetings with an FEI delegation headed by President Ingmar De Vos and Secretary General Sabrina Zeender. Also pictured are Eventing athlete Alex Hua Tian (CHN) and German Dressage athlete Kristina Bröring-Sprehe. Brazilian Jumping athlete Pedro Veniss (out of shot) also met with the IOC President. (Liz Gregg/FEI)
“Equestrian is the only Olympic sport where men and women compete against each other for medals in all the disciplines,” Kristina Bröring-Sprehe said. “It’s only when you get a bit older that you realise just how special this is, and it’s one of the many reasons why equestrian sport is so popular with women of all ages. Knowing how important gender equality is to the Olympic movement, it’s been really empowering to talk to Thomas Bach about this today.”
“Eventing is my real passion”, said Alex Hua Tian, the man who carried the hopes of 1.2 billion Chinese at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. “It’s not just a sport, but a way of life, and we have a unique partnership with our horses where big decisions have to be made, communicated and executed in a heartbeat. Trust, courage and precision is what our sport is all about, as well as building on joint strengths, and forgiving and compensating for each other’s weaknesses. We have a very deep relationships with our horses, and it has been fascinating to discuss this with the IOC President today.”
“Brazil is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world and, just like the equestrian community, the Brazilian people are vibrant and welcoming”, said Pedro Veniss, who was part of the Brazilian Jumping team at the 2008 Olympic Games. “Our melting pot of cultures in Brazil and in our sport is very exciting. As a Brazilian equestrian athlete, I am so proud that we are staging the first Games in South America and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
“The Rio 2016 Olympic Games is now just around the corner, and it has been a huge pleasure for us all at FEI HQ and our equestrian ‘family’ to have IOC President Thomas Bach with us today,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said. “We are looking forward to seeing our top athletes, both human and equine, displaying their unique talents to all those who are lucky enough to get to Rio and see the action in person, as well as all those watching from home. The Games will be incredible.”
#RoadToRio
The Rio 2016 Olympic equestrian action gets underway on 6 August at the Olympic Equestrian Centre in the Deodoro Olympic Park, the second largest Rio 2016 Games cluster.
Two hundred of the world’s best human and equine athletes will compete for medals in the Olympic disciplines of Eventing, Dressage and Jumping over 12 days of intense competition.
It was double-gold for Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro when the British superstars added the Freestyle title to yesterday’s Grand Prix Special honours at the FEI European Dressage Championships in Aachen (GER) this evening. But today’s medal was particularly hard-won, with Germany’s Kristina Bröring-Sprehe only 0.25 percent off Dujardin’s winning score when taking silver with Desperados FRH, while Spain’s Beatriz Ferrer-Salat produced another sensation when claiming the bronze with Delgado.
Continuing the week-long theme of expecting the unexpected, the day began with the news that Britain’s Fiona Bigwood was withdrawn because her mare, Atterupgaards Orthilia, had a “slight skin reaction causing sensitivity”. And then, just before the competition began, it was announced that Anna Kaskpkrzak had also pulled out. The Danish rider is no shrinking violet and had climbed into the saddle to prepare for her early-afternoon start with Donnperignon. But the pain she has been suffering since she was kicked in the chest by her horse after the horse inspection six days ago was just too intense today.
Strong test
Newly-crowned European team champion, Patrick van der Meer from the The Netherlands, got the competition underway with a nice test from Uzzo who set the standard at 74.375, and this was followed by the farewell performance of Morgan Barbancon Mestre’s 18-year-old stallion Painted Black who posted 73.375.
However it was Karen Tebar from France who led the way into the first competition break. It is rare to see a rider smiling as they enter the arena, especially one as intimidating as the Soers in Aachen, but the 50-year-old who fits her competitive career around managing her own German-based company, looked equally as happy as her 10-year-old gelding Don Luis who, in his first year at international level, took over the lead with a score of 74.964.
The target rocketed up to 80.214 when German team bronze medallist, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, took her turn with Unee BB, their performance concluding with a dare-devil extended trot up the centre-line. And then Sweden’s Tinne Vilhelmson Silfven went out in front, the six-time Olympian and her 13-year-old gelding demonstrating their unique partnership based on a mutual understanding that allows them to ebb and flow with the rhythm of their test for a mark of 80.643.
A day to savour
This was a day to savour, with many young horses suggesting great future potential, including the nine-year-old Batuta ridden by Portugal’s Goncalo Carvalho (72.768) and Carl Hester’s 10-year-old Nip Tuck (79.571) for Great Britain. But it was the 82.482 produced by Germany’s Isabell Werth and Don Johnson FRH that was the score to beat as the final four took their turn.
Werth is both a natural-born entertainer as well as an edge-of-the-seat competitor, and she had the home crowd right behind her as she swung her way through her musical score that included a newly-introduced excerpt from Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” – the late, great Freddie Mercury singing “nothing really matters” – but of course it did. And the crowd went wild when the judges awarded 82.482. Still the excitement was far from over.
Only a chosen few knew that Beatriz Ferrer-Salat would shine this week. First, like Frenchwoman Tebar, she would steer her country into an Olympic qualifying spot and then go on to finish just off the podium in yesterday’s Grand Prix Special. As she started into her routine today it was clear the Spanish rider was upping her game even further, her chestnut gelding Delgado presenting a beautifully balanced, forward-going picture as they cruised through seamless transitions and presented a picture of lightness and harmony for a new leading score of 82.714. Quite an achievement for a horse that has struggled with unsoundness since he was a six-year-old and who, at 14 years of age, is only now getting the opportunity to show his true ability.
Close to perfection
But while that was lovely to watch, the penultimate performance of Bröring-Sprehe and her fabulous black stallion was close to perfection. The 28-year-old rider came to Aachen this week with a weight of expectation on her shoulders, and although she didn’t get the result she wanted in the team competition she was very impressive when taking silver in yesterday’s Grand Prix Special. Today however the horse-and-rider combination were in a different league altogether, lighting up the ring with spectacular passage and piaffe, the tiniest of pirouettes and breath-taking extended trot. The defending champions were chasing a big score of 88.804 as they set off, and it was difficult to know if they would beat that score.
Dujardin found the one-tempi changes something of a bug-bear this week and once again they let the pair down this afternoon, but even though her 13-year-old gelding was much less animated than in yesterday’s test, the quality of their work was such that they overtook their German rivals by a narrow 0.25 percent to round up their week with both of the individual titles.
Only the ones
Talking afterwards, the record-breaking rider said, “it was only the ones (one-tempi changes) that let the performance down. I think he’s got a thing with them now, he’s done it all week. Yesterday in the last one he made a mistake, outside he’s been really good with them. It’s only one movement at the end of the day and it has cost me, but I was really happy with the rest of it.
“The toughest part of being here is having to deal with the crowd, you know they are rooting for their nation, and when I walked in there was a huge atmosphere. Then her (Kristina’s) score came up just as I went in, and I had to deal with that as well. And then we had a shot of Isabell (Werth) stuffing her face with something, so as I went to start the crowd were laughing! So there was a lot in my mind to deal with at the very beginning. I think I handled it quite well”, she said.
Ferrer-Salat said of her bronze medal finish today, “when we came here I was expecting to qualify the team for Rio and I hoped to get into the Kur, but a medal? Never! I’m very happy for my horse, I’ve had him for years and he’s always been injured, but now we have rehabilitated him. It has taken a long, long time, but it’s been worth it!”
At the post-competition press conference, Freestyle silver medallist Bröring-Sprehe said, “Desperados was so fantastic, so good to ride today, he felt great in the atmosphere and we did our best Freestyle ever. Next year I hope”, she added, and then looked across at Dujardin and hesitated, “next year – I want to do even better!”
The Grand Prix Freestyle medallists on the podium at the FEI European Dressage Championships 2015 in Aachen, Germany today. (L to R) Kristina Bröring-Sprehe from Germany (silver), Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin (gold) and Spain’s Beatriz Ferrer-Salat (bronze). (FEI/Dirk Caremans)
Championships were tough
It sounded like a warning to Dujardin who admitted these Championships were tough. “Yeah, I knew it would be coming here. But in the end I’m going home with two golds and a silver medal, so I’m happy!” she replied. Asked about the narrow margin between herself and Bröring-Sprehe she said, “that’s sport and it makes it more and more exciting…it would be really boring if I was winning by miles all the time. So the fact that Kristina is catching me up – everyone, even Edward in the Grand Prix – I think for me here I just had mistakes in my tests. I haven’t had one test which I haven’t had mistakes in, and that’s obviously expensive, but I know when I have a mistake-free test it’s a very good test. He’s (Valegro) going to have a holiday now for three weeks and I’ll work on it and hopefully get my changes back and go to Olympia…get ready for Rio. I’m not giving up easily!” she concluded.
For more information on the FEI European Championships 2015 in Aachen visit http://www.aachen2015.de.
Result Grand Prix Freestyle: Gold: Valegro (Charlotte Dujardin) GBR 88.982;
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