Beezie Madden and Simon win jumping World Cup

Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping championship at the halt of an epic battle inwards the Scandinavium Arena Beezie Madden together with Simon win jumping World Cup — Simon together with Beezie Madden. © Paul Harding @ LewisHardingimages

Beezie Madden together with Simon claimed the 2013 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping championship at the halt of an epic battle inwards the Scandinavium Arena inwards Gothenburg, Sweden, on Sunday.

It was a back-to-back win for the USA next finally year’s victory of Rich Fellers together with Flexible who ended a 25-year drought for his province inwards 2012, together with Madden is entirely the 5th adult woman ever to concord the coveted trophy inwards her hands. Fellow U.S. ruders Melanie Smith (1982), Leslie Burr Lenehan (1986) together with Katharine Burdsall (1987) succeeded over the early on years of this prestigious tournament, patch Californian-born Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum flew the High German flag to register a hat-trick of successes inwards 2005, 2008 together with 2009.

Interview with Beezie Madden

This was a tough 24-hour interval of jumping together with a cliff-hanger of a contest correct to really end. Not 1 of the 23 starters managed to consummate Uliano Vezzani’s first-round runway without penalty, together with entirely 3 left all the fences upward inwards the 2nd circular together with 1 of those – Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson – collected simply a unmarried fourth dimension fault. Madden, 49, went into a third-round head-to-head with Olympic champion Steve Guerdat, but the 30-year-old Swiss passenger had to settle for runner-up spot for the 2nd year.

Vezzani’s first-round runway was tall, broad together with definitely non for the faint-hearted. Questioned afterward virtually the intensity of the examination he had laid upward throughout the entire day, he said, “I mean value it wasn’t likewise tardily for the riders together with horses but these are the best inwards the world. It was big, hard together with technical, but the horses jumped well.” And Guerdat interjected to indicate out “the course of education was tough, but at that spot were a lot of four-faults, you lot didn’t run across horses struggling, together with if nosotros riders did our labor equally good equally him (Vezzani) together with so nosotros would remove keep had to a greater extent than clear rounds!”

In the showtime round, Vezzani sent them off at a gallop with a triple bar equally the showtime fence, together with the line per unit of measurement area remained relentless to the really last. The 12-fence course of education demanded accuracy together with command together with tested the riders mightiness to shorten together with lengthen the stride, with no room for indecision. The dorsum bar of the innocuous-looking oxer at fence 2 claimed both Spain’s Sergio Alvarez Moya (Carlo) together with Frenchman Kevin Staut (Silvana HDC) with its victims, together with the entirely 1 of the 12 obstacles that remained undisturbed throughout the entire showtime circular was the vertical at three.

There was an pick of iv forrad or 5 asset strides betwixt the oxer at iv together with the next double of really tall verticals of brilliant carmine planks but, surprisingly, a number of the leading contenders managed to negotiate this entirely to hitting the next oxer off a right-hand bend. There was no fourth dimension to recover earlier continuing right-handed to the next vertical, patch the dog-leg left-hand curvature to the oxer at 8 came upward really speedily together with sometimes at cost.

With simply iv to a greater extent than to go, riders had to laid upward their horses upward carefully for the triple combination of oxer to vertical to oxer, together with and so it was fourth dimension to plough for home. But earlier they got at that spot they had to clear the wavy planks at 10 together with and so run downwards the long side of the arena over the penultimate oxer together with the finally vertical. It was hither that Olympic champion Steve Guerdat’s circular unravelled. Clear to that point, he all of a abrupt urged Nino des Buissonnets forrad together with although they left the second-last intact, their beat was upset together with the finally came downwards to add together iv penalties to their scoreline.

As the bird began, with 23 starters, it was Portugal’s Luciana Diniz who held pole seat with Lennox, but 3 fences downwards showtime fourth dimension out compromised their chances. Second-placed Madden hence moved into the Pb with Simon when 1 of the 8 horse-and-rider combinations to lower simply a unmarried fence, their mistake coming at the 2nd chemical constituent of the influential double of carmine planks.

As circular 2 began, Kevin Staut was lying 2nd ahead of Guerdat together with America’s McLain Ward, but Guerdat’s clear this fourth dimension out left him on a running total of nine, so when Madden dropped the 2nd chemical constituent of the penultimate double these 2 were forthwith on bird pegging together with it would accept a jump-off to split upward them. And you lot couldn’t remove keep predicted what was going to spill out next.

Guerdat together with his Olympic partner Nino des Buissonnets are perchance the fastest horse-and-rider duo on the planet, together with the Olympic champions laid upward off similar a rocket over the novel jump-off course. They looked laid upward to introduce Madden with a near-impossible target until, turning likewise tight to the penultimate vertical, the Swiss passenger constitute himself with no existent sight of a stride together with when that fell, they galloped downwards to the finally together with hitting that too.

“I was trying to become clear together with fast equally possible. I remove keep a really fast horse, together with I simply wanted to win. Last twelvemonth I had to become showtime inwards the jump-off but I wasn’t quick plenty so I finished 2nd together with I didn’t desire it to spill out again. Maybe I took likewise much risk, maybe I could remove keep been a flake smarter to the second-last together with I could remove keep pose to a greater extent than line per unit of measurement area on Beezie, but I mean value I had to try,” he said.

The door was forthwith broad opened upward for Madden, together with she was virtually to pace smartly in. “I watched Steve’s jump-off on TV. Once he had 2 downwards I simply wanted to cheque what the time-allowed was. I was so relieved, I thought he would live so hard to beat, it took quite a flake of the line per unit of measurement area off!”

She entered the arena knowing that a sensible clear would live adept plenty to accept the championship together with that was precisely what she produced. “It was smashing to win the showtime leg, but I was kicking myself after the 2nd day. And today it was dissimilar again. It was a flake similar the cards landed correct for me when Steve left the door opened upward inwards the jump-off,” she said afterwards. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 last-fence mistake inwards the 2nd circular damage Staut dearly as, without that, his running tally of 6 would remove keep been adept plenty to clinch it. But he was stoic inwards the aftermath, together with he fifty-fifty suggested that he had simply experienced a learning curvature where his faithful greyish mare, Silvana, was concerned.

“I am really happy virtually 3rd place, although I was a flake disappointed I had the finally down. It has been fantastic sport here, my 4th Rolex World Cup Final, together with I never jumped equally large equally nosotros jumped today. My mare is fourteen years one-time together with I never knew she could confine equally large equally that so maybe she’s younger than I mean value together with she tin give notice confine fifty-fifty more!”

Madden talked virtually the 14-year-old Dutch-bred gelding Simon who has been inwards a Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping line-up earlier with his previous rider, The Netherlands’ Jeroen Dubbeldam, when 3rd at the finally inwards Leipzig, Federal Republic of Federal Republic of Germany inwards 2011.

“He’s a really sensible horse, at that spot has ever been a enquiry virtually rideability together with we’ve played around with bits together with constitute 1 he likes now. He tin give notice acquire strong, but he’s non so hard together with he’s careful, he wants to exercise his labor together with he makes it tardily for me equally long equally I tin give notice acquire him at that spot inwards range. I got him eighteen months ago, together with he’s smashing because he’s a fighter!” she said.

Madden began riding equally a pocket-size fry together with she made her Grand Prix debut inwards 1985. Four years of continued success followed, including participation on winning U.S. Nations Cup teams together with she was named the 1989 U.S. Olympic Committee’s Female Equestrian of the Year.

She was the showtime woman, together with showtime American, to accomplish the top 3 inwards the World Rankings (in 2004) together with the showtime adult woman to exceed the $1m grade inwards prize-money. Riding the brilliant Authentic, she helped the U.S. squad to gilded at the 2004 Olympic Games inwards Athens, took squad together with private silvery at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games inwards Aachen, together with returned to the High German venue to clinch the Rolex Grand Prix inwards 2007. Once 1 time again with Authentic, she took squad gilded together with private bronze at the 2008 equestrian events of the Beijing Olympic Games inwards Hong Kong. In 2010 she 1 time again took the Aachen Grand Prix, this fourth dimension with Coral Reef Via Volo, together with inwards 2011 she claimed squad gilded together with private silvery at the Pan-American Games.

There was an air of a labor good done equally the lawsuit drew to a close, together with 1 human being who was feeling peculiarly delighted with the halt number was the winning rider’s husband, John Madden. At the closing press conference he said, non surprisingly, “personally I mean value this was a fantastic event!”

He continued: “I am Executive Board fellow member together with Chairman of the FEI Jumping Committee together with Beezie’s husband, so this is smashing for me, I’m really proud to live Beezie’s hubby but also proud of my connectedness with the FEI together with I desire to extend our deepest debt of gratitude to Rolex. It has been a unique, exciting lawsuit here, together with nosotros tin give notice await dorsum on 7 finals with Rolex, each unique together with each fantabulous inwards their ain way. For 50 years Rolex has contributed to our sport.

“We remove keep had smashing sport here, it has been a long, hard battle but everyone including the FEI staff, the Organising Committee of Gothenburg together with the province of Sweden remove keep all done a smashing labor together with it has been a pleasance to live here.”

Meanwhile his married adult woman stood asset the trophy that, equally she said today, “is 1 I’ve ever wanted”. She has it now.

Results:
1, Simon (Beezie Madden) USA 0/41.66;
2, Nino des Buissonnets (Steve Guerdat) SUI 8/30.33;
3, Silvana HDC (Kevin Staut) FRA 10;
4, Carlo (Sergio Alvarez Moya) ESP 12,
5, Super Trooper de Ness (McLain Ward) USA 13,
6, Quintero la Silla/Casall la Silla (Rolf-Goran Bengtsson) SWE 13,
7, Sterrehof’s Tamino/Sterrehof’s Uppity (Marc Houtzager) NED 16;
8, Gotha FRH (Henrik von Eckermann) SWE 20;
9, Lennox (Luciana Diniz) POR 20;
10, Cylana (Reed Kessler) USA 25.