Team Belgium wins gold at the FEI Jumping European Championship
On Thursday, competitions at the FEI Jumping European Championship for Young Riders, Juniors and Children 2022 in Oliva Nova, Spain, continued with the Juniors’ team final, as well as the second individual qualifier for the Young Riders which also counted as the first round of their team final.
In the category for Juniors, it was time to decide the first medals of the Championship. With 91 horse-and-rider combinations at start, the second round of the team final – presented by Stephex Horsetrucks – was jumped over a 1.40m course.
On a score of 8.71, Team Belgium was leading the way ahead of Thursday’s final round, followed by The Netherlands in second on 9.89, Ireland in third on 11.67, while Great Britain was fourth on 14.48 followed by France in fifth on 14.59.
The Belgian and Dutch teams delivered four and three flawless rounds respectively to win gold and silver. For Belgium, Evelyne Putters on Nabeau van het Migroveld Z (Nabab de Reve x Taran de la Pomme), Aurelia Guisson on No Limit vh Legitahof Z (Nabab de Reve x Berlin), Leon Brutsaert on Corleone Tour Vidal (Mylord Carthago x Sisley de La Tour Vidal) and Luiz Felipe Neto de Azevedo on Valentino Massuere (Canturo x Galoubet A) all jumped clear – keeping their score on 8.71 and securing the gold for Belgium. The fifth rider on the Belgian team was Louise Ameeuw, with Nasty Boy de Muze (Bamako de Muze x Tinka’s Boy).
“I was last to go, and my three teammates had already done a clear round, so I had less pressure going in,” Luiz Felipe Neto de Azevedo commented afterwards. “I tried to stay focused. My horse jumped amazing and I think it was a good round. I am really happy with my horse, hopefully the individual final also goes well.”
“I think I jumped a good round, I had a bit pressure on me,” Leon Brutsaert said about his ride. “My horse jumped well, so I am very happy with that.”
Aurelia Guisson was also part of the gold winning team last year and said: “It is amazing to be on a winning team two times in row, Evelyne was also with me last year. I have an amazing horse!”
Louise Ameeuw talked about the Belgian team spirit, complementing her teammates: “We have an amazing team spirit, I am very thankful to be on this team. I could not be more proud of them, this is unbelievable!”
After jumping another clear for Belgium, Evelyn Putters remains on top of the individual rankings for the Juniors. “I was already excited to be on the team,” she said. “I am very happy with the gold; the rest is just extra.”
Belgian Chef d’Equipe Rik Deraedt was over the moon with his team’s attitude. “Going to the European Championship with such a group of riders, who fight for the Belgian team, is so nice,” he said. “We had eight clears and won gold again. I knew I had a good team, but in this sport, you can never be sure; a fault is very easy to have, even if you have a good rider on a good horse.”
The Dutch team – today consisting of Mart Ijland on Hero (Cantos x BMC Kigali), Thijmen Vos on Ive Got The Key (Womanizer x Ekstein), Milan Morssinkhof on Checkpoint Chacco (Chacco-Blue x Ferragamo) and Nick Nanning on Bandia (Clinsmann 2 x Quintero) – led by Chef d’Equipe Edwin Hoogenraat, took the team silver with a total score of 9.89 penalties after Vos, Morssinkhof and Nanning all jumped clear in Thursday’s round. The fifth rider on the Dutch team was Emma Bocken with Kadessa Z (Kannan x Harley VDL).
With a score of 15.67, Ireland – with Francis Derwin on AHG Whiterock Cruise Down (Cruisings Micky Finn x Touchdown), Rhys Williams on Cowboy Balou (Balou du Reventon x Poker), Tom Wachman on Lazzaro Delle Schiave (Acodetto 2 x Gluecksgriff) and Niamh Mcevoy on Templepatrick Welcome Limmeric (Limmerick x Lux Z) on the team – led by Chef d’Equipe James Kernan, took the bronze medal. The fifth rider on the Irish team was Conor Mclaughlin with Kilbarron Rue (Gelvin Clover x Barron de Chantepie).
Individually, Belgium’s Evelyne Putters holds on to her lead on a score of 0.84 among the Juniors, followed by Dutch rider Nick Nanning on 2.43 in second, Hungary’s Gyula Szuhai Jr. on 2.75 in third, Spain’s Olivia Alvarez Garcia on 2.96 in fourth and Norway’s Ingrid Sandhei Bjørklund on 2.98 in fifth. However, the top eight remain within four penalties, keeping the excitement brewing ahead of Saturday’s individual final for the Juniors.
Great Britain takes the lead after the first round of the Young Riders’ team final
Presented by Roelofsen Horse Trucks, the 1.50m class for the Young Riders had 86 horse-and-rider combinations at start. After Tuesday’s first round, Ireland’s Jason Foley started today’s competition on a score of zero, followed by Great Britain’s Lily Attwood on 0.75 in second, France’s Jules Orsolini and Antoine Ermann on 1.61 and 1.83 in third and fourth, while Belgium’s Thibeau Spits was on a score of 1.9 in fifth. However, out of the five, only Spits delivered a clear round over Thursday’ 1.50m track set by Spain’s very own Santiago Varela – and the top five on the individual rankings got a proper shake up.
In total, only six pairs jumped clear in this second individual competition for the Young Riders, which was also the first round of the team final: Thibeau Spits on Classic Touch DH, Great Britain’s Lila Brember on Memphis vd Vaart (Elvis ter Putte x Up Chiqui), Grace Debney on Boheme de La Roque (Kannan x Quick Star) and Oliver Fletcher on Hello William (Waldo Van Dungen x Stakkato), as well as Germany’s Henrike Ostermann on Air Force One 19 (Arpeggio x Conterno Grande) and Hannes Ahlmann on Baloucan (Baloubet du Rouet x Cancara) – who all found the answers to each question asked by the course designer.
On the team standings, Great Britain climbed up on the leader board today after strong performances, while Ireland fell down. After the first round of the team final for the Young Riders, Great Britain leads the way on a score of 6.84, followed by Belgium on 14.08 in second, Germany on 16.17 in third, Ireland on 21.96 in fourth and France on 23.47 in fifth.
Individually, Thibeau Spits has taken over the lead on a score of 1.9, followed by Grace Debney on 2.75 in second, Henrike Ostermann on 2.81 in third, Oliver Fletcher on 3.34 in fourth and Hannes Ahlmann on 3.61 in fifth.
The FEI Jumping European Championship for Young Riders, Juniors and Children 2022 in Oliva Nova, Spain, continues on Friday with the team final for the Young Riders, as well as the second individual qualifier – which is also the first round of the team final – in the Children’s category.
Results HERE