August 31, 2006

Let’s toast the winners … with fresh Orange juice, of course!

Aachen, Germany - Gerco Schröderv (NED) and Eurocommerce Berlin At the end of what can only be described as the most exciting, electrifying, exhilarating, in one word truly unforgettable Team Jumping Final, The Netherlands seize the gold medal finishing on the impressive score of 11.01. The silver goes to the USA (18.85) and the bronze to Germany, the home team, with 19.16.

As a rule, the two rounds of the Nations Cup competition are held on the same day over the same course, but Aachen is special in every way. As the second round was held at night under floodlights, the water had to be removed. Also, the 13-obstacle 16-jumping effort course had gained 5 cm in height and 10 to 20 cm in width with the night’s dew. A wall in the shape of a postage stamp – which would have a dramatic effect on the German team - had been placed at six. On one side is depicted a stamp of Aachen, issued by the German Federal Post in 1973; on the other appears the stamp commemorating the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games. It is the first time that a fence of such a design has been used.

In a true Nations Cup manner, the teams were going in reverse order of merit so by the time the first Dutch rider, Piet Raymakers, entered the arena on Van Schijndel Curtis performances ranged anywhere between 12 faults by Ireland’s Shane Breen aboard World Cruise and clear rounds from Christina Liebherr (SUI) on L.B. No Mercy and, much to the delight of the crowded stadium, Ludger Beerbaum on L’Espoir With a refusal at obstacle six (the stamp), three other fences down and two time penalties, Raymakers finished on 18 disastrous points. What helps in such moments are a sense of humour – “things got all the more exciting after that,” – solid nerves and team spirit. Sydney Olympic Champion Jeroen Dubbeldam on BMC Up and Down was the second Dutch to go. “I tried to stay with my horse as much as possible; this is what I had to do to restore the faith for the team,” he said. By the time Albert Zoer’s turn on Okidoki had come spirits were up and it was time for some excitement. He had the very first fence down but more interestingly he lost his stirrup and was able to recover it only two fences later to finish on 4 penalty points. Gerco Schröder, the last rider for the evening, who at 28 is the team’s youngest member, gave all he had to finish on a fantastic double clear. The Dutch team were understandably pleased with their performance, but the individual competition is still ongoing and is very much on everybody’s mind. “And let’s not forget that we still have to fight and stay in the Samsung Super League,” chef d’équipe Rob Ehren reminded everyone.

The performance of the USA is just as remarkable especially given the outstanding achievement of Beezie Madden, who on Authentic, is the only rider without a single penalty.

For Germany, things had got off to a winning note after the clear rounds of Ludger Beerbaum and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum on Shutterfly and the four faults of Christian Ahlmann on Cöster. Marcus Ehning and his 9-year old bay mare Noltes Küchengirl entered confidently the arena. Despite her brilliant performances at La Baule and here in Aachen in May this year, Küchengirl is still young and was frightened by a first fence down. The pair crashed in the postage stamp fence and were eliminated to leave the German team on a final score of 19.16 points and a bronze medal. “The Netherlands and USA weren’t just lucky, they fully deserve their medals,” German chef d’équipe said. “We are happy to have a medal.”

Team Ukraine, composed of two Belgian and two German riders, who recently have changed their nationality to become Ukrainians, finish in fourth place only 0.01 points behind Germany. The team’s third rider Gregory Wathelet and Loriot had a clear round, which was followed by another clear by Katharina Offel and Atlanta, who picked up one time penalty on the way. What if…

The team medals are now in the pockets but the competition is far from finished. The best 25 individual riders after the three days of competition will proceed to a fourth round on Saturday. Big fences and difficult questions are clearly ahead and whoever the final four are on Sunday, they will clearly have earned their spot through a tough selection.

Once again, Aachen witnessed a fantastic competition. The riders were talented, the horses brave, the public cheerful, but first and foremost, these were no games, this was sport.