Germany keep team lead in showjumping World Championships, while other nations swap places
The home side were sure of their top spot in the showjumping World Championships team competition after their first three rounds on Thursday
Germany retain the lead at the top of the showjumping World Championships team results after the action today (Thursday, 20 August).
Frank Rothenberger’s course for today’s first “Nations Cup” round proved relatively easy and there were 49 clear rounds inside the time. This meant those who did have a rail down were quite harshly punished in terms of slips down the leaderboard.
But there were no concerns for the German team, who secured their top spot with a rider to spare. Marcus Ehning led with a clear on Coolio 42, Sophie Hinners followed and was also fault-free on Iron Dames Singclair and Daniel Deusser confirmed the German lead position when he punched in a third clear on Otello De Guldenboom.
“I didn’t want to keep all the pressure for Richie [Vogel], so I thought it would be nice if I could jump a clear round. The teams are very close together, so it was important that we go into the last round as a leading team tomorrow,” said Daniel, who shares fourth in the individual standings with Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat on his Paris 2024 individual silver medallist Dynamix De Belheme.
Talking about the stride patterns around the course, Daniel added: "I changed my decisions approximately 25 times today. I walked the course at 7.50am and to be honest, that time I walked it exactly like I rode it now.
“In between, I saw a lot of people do six after the green double [fence 5ab]. I thought the six looked easy, I could do the six as well. Then just before I got on the horse, I saw a couple go in seven. I said ‘Actually, I’d better ride it like I walked this morning, don’t be influenced by anyone else’, and luckily it worked out like that.”
Sophie Hinners holds second individually on Iron Dames Singclair, behind Britain’s Scott Brash and Hello Mango.
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“Iron Dames Singclair is very special to me. I got him when he was at the end of his eight-year-old year. He’s 11 now and we stepped up together to this level,” said Sophie.
“When we got him, we did not really expect that he would be such a dream horse, that he could jump such big classes. When you see him, he’s quite small and then he just goes in and jumps a track like this.
“He always wants to do his best, and he is always fighting for me.”
Germany’s fourth combination, European champions Richard Vogel and United Touch S, also jumped clear so the squad looks in great shape ahead of tomorrow’s team final. Richard started the event as the favourite and now sits 23rd. He is less than a fence behind British leader Scott Brash but there are a lot of combinations between him and gold position.
Ireland’s Cian O’Connor said today the format for championships might need re-examining.
He said: “There was no point in going for a slow clear yesterday and we’d probably prefer a little bit more meat on the bone with these courses, a bit more of a scope test because you have some really good professionals just being unlucky and nicking a rail, and then you have a lot weaker pairs jumping the clear. We have to cater for everybody. But I think that probably needs looking at for future championships.”
USA and Belgium swap spots
The USA moved up from third after the speed leg to second following today’s class.
Again, they secured their spot before anchor rider McLain Ward had entered the arena, as Laura Kraut (Baloutinue), Katie Dinan (Out Of The Blue SCF) and Lillie Keenan (Fasther) all jumped clear.
Katie Dinan spoke about how she put a disappointing round yesterday behind her and came back with a clear.
Katie said: “Yesterday I knew what my mistake was and I really tried just to focus on today being a new day – my horse is in form, so I didn’t have to worry about that –and just making a plan when I walked the course and riding her like I know how, riding her the way that got us selected for the team. I was disappointed yesterday because that wasn’t the performance we had.
“But luckily, my three teammates were very good yesterday so I could come back today. My horse was so phenomenal and I knew after we jumped the first two jumps she was right there with me. I just needed to give her the guidance she deserves and I felt like we were both fighting for the clear round.”
Katie Dinan and Out Of The Blue SCF represent the US at the showjumping World Championships in Aachen
Lillie said: “Jumping a speed round with Fasther, especially in the beginning of the week like yesterday, can be a little bit challenging because he likes to take over, and it’s not just Fasther’s belief that he knows a lot better than I do – he is absolutely firm in knowing that. So I have to be a bit creative and trust our partnership and trust him.
“Today he really reminded me how incredibly special he is in every single way – his personality, but also his ability. He does things that the laws of physics would say are impossible and I'm just really, really lucky to have him as my partner.”
Nicola Phillippaerts and Katanga Van Het Dingeshof jump clears on both the first two days of the showjumping World Championships in Aachen
Nicola Phillippaerts punched in a pathfinder clear for Belgium with Katanga Van Het Dingeshof, but Pieter Devos (Casual DV Z) had eight faults, then Thibeau Spits knocked the last with Impress-K Van’t Kattenheye Z. It came down to Abdel Saïd, competing in his first World Championships for Belgium after two representing Egypt, to keep his team in a podium spot.
“It’s hard with all this pressure and I was thinking ‘Okay, it has to stop with me, the pressure, not go on my horse.’ But I just felt him go one, two, three and then he just relaxed, and it was like okay, we’re going to bring it home,” said Abdel after his round with Wathnan Quaker Brimbelles Z.
Giulia Martinengo Marquet and Delta Del’Isle blaze the trail for Italy at the showjumping World Championships in Aachen.
Belgium now share third with Italy, who made a leap today from eighth after yesterday’s speed leg.
Giulia Martinengo Marquet on Delta Del’Isle, Emanuele Camilli with Chacareno PS and Piergiogio Bucco on Hantano all jumped fault-free rounds today to move Italy up the ranks.
World Championships team results on Thursday: qualifiers for Friday’s final
1. Germany (Marcus Ehning, Sophie Hinners, Daniel Deusser) 3.48
2. USA (Laura Kraut, Katie Dinan, Lillie Keenan, McLain Ward) 4.85
3eq. Belgium (Nicola Phillippaerts, Pieter Devos, Thibeau Spits, Abdel Saïd)
3eq. Italy (Giulia Martinengo Marquet, Emanuele Camilli, Giacomo Casadel, Piergiogio Bucco) 7.69
5. Great Britain (Ben Maher, Harry Charles, Adrian Whiteway, Scott Brash) 8.98
6. France (Nina Mallevaey, Olivier Perreau, Antoine Ermann, Julien Epaillard) 8.99
7. Sweden (Petronella Andresson, Henrik von Eckermann, Wilma McMahon, Peder Fredricson) 9.64
8. Switzerland (Steve Guerdat, Martin Fuchs, Gaëtan Joliat, Jason Smith) 10.49
9. Denmark (Zascha Nygaard, Laura Baaring Kjaergaard, Caroline Rehoff Pedersen, Andreas Schou) 11.57
10. Ireland (Darragh Kenny, Bertram Allen, Cian O’Connor, Shane Sweetnam) 11.69
World Championships team results on Thursday: individual standings
1. Scott Brash (GBR) on Hello Mango 0.8
2. Sophie Hinners (GER) on Iron Dames Singclair 0.84
3eq. Steve Guerdat (SUI) on Dynamix De Belheme 0.86
3eq. Daniel Deusser (GER) on Otello De Guldenboom 0.86
5. Ben Maher (GBR) on Point Break 1.01
6. Nicola Phillippaerts (BEL) on Katanga Van Het Dingeshof
7. Laura Kraut (USA) on Baloutinue 1.06
8. Giulia Martinengo Marquet (ITA) on Delta Del’Isle 1.13
9. Lillie Keenan (USA) on Fasther 1.17
10. Marcus Ehning (GER) on Coolio 42 1.78
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Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.