Charlotte and Valegro strike European freestyle gold
Olympic double gilt medallist Charlotte Dujardin became the kickoff British passenger to win a freestyle championship at the European Dressage Championships, taking out gilt with Valegro in Herning, Kingdom of Denmark on Sunday.
It has been quite a calendar week for the 28-year-old passenger who began past times breaking the globe tape Grand Prix score to assist the British to squad bronze on Thursday, before coming out the next hateful solar daytime to clinch the private Grand Prix Special title.
Expectation for the freestyle was at an all-time high. It for certain didn’t disappoint, with lineament operate from all fifteen of the qualified riders as well as a breathtaking winning ride from Dujardin during which she as well as her wonderful Equus caballus held everyone nether their spell.
The kickoff British passenger inwards was Michael Eilberg with Half Luna Delphi, whose lively Hispanic music laid to some peachy passage operate delighted the crowd equally they began to clap inwards fourth dimension to the music. Unfortunately, his music started a flake belatedly as well as hence some improvisation was needed but a score of 72.232% brought an amazing calendar week for the debutantes to a euphoric end.
“When my music started late, I got behind as well as I had to notice my agency round. It was for certain freestyling inwards the freestyle!,” Eilberg said. “She has an aura close her as well as music is lively as well as hence I gauge the crowd wanted to larn behind her – I loved it.”
Carl Hester rode Uthopia with his normal artistic gusto as well as captivated the crowd with his medley of music from London 2012 prepared past times Tom Hunt. It was a brave alternative equally the exam contains plenty of piaffe which hasn’t been his strongest characteristic this calendar week but they managed to interruption the magic barrier with 81.696 which gave them 6th overall, overtaking Denmark’s Anna Kasprzak as well as Donnperignon.
It wasn’t entirely Danish supporters who had a tear inwards their optic a lilliputian before when, during the kickoff break, the Equus caballus that has brought as well as hence much success to Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, the 16-year-old Digby, was officially retired.
This duet laid the target equally the kickoff grouping of riders took their plow when posting a score of 79.554, as well as would eventually complete inwards 9th place. Looking equally fresh as well as good equally ever, Digby got a standing ovation from the crowd who waved him as well as his passenger out of the arena for the really finally time. But before they left, zu Sayn-Wittgenstein said: “I’ll live dorsum fifty-fifty though Digby won’t!” And the rider’s mother, Princess Benedikte of Kingdom of Denmark who bred this wonderful horse, was equally tearful equally everyone else.
The Netherlands’ Adelinde Cornelissen as well as Jerich Parzival were kickoff to larn of the terminal five, as well as the defending European Freestyle champion as well as her Equus caballus laid a large novel target when putting 86.393 on the board. All Parzival’s trademark bounce as well as publish energy seems to live dorsum next his fantastic recovery from handling for a view condition, and, earning 9.5 for piaffe amongst his many high scores, he ensured the residuum would receive got to live on their toes.
Edward Gal’s Glock’s Undercover was much to a greater extent than relaxed than he was inwards Friday’s Grand Prix Special, as well as this Dutch duo produced to a greater extent than of their seamless transitions as well as potent piaffe as well as passage which earned a score of 9.1. But their score of 84.911 left Cornelissen soundless out inwards front end until Dujardin entered the arena.
The softness of Valegro’s irksome as well as deliberate piaffe, the ability of the trot extensions, the athletic lineament of the lateral movements as well as the wonderful passage had everyone enthralled. Dujardin co-ordinated every displace with the stirring musical score she used at finally summer’s Olympic Games inwards London. The precision with which she arrived on queue for each of the pirouettes that were executed to the audio of the ringing of London’s Big Ben was awe-inspiring. Thes functioning was maybe only equally spine-chilling equally the i that earned them Freestyle Olympic gilt 12 months ago. There was only i pregnant glitch. “In the finally pirouette I caught him with the spur as well as it made him jump. Other than that it was brilliant!” Dujardin said afterwards.
Germany’s Kristina Sprehe as well as Desperados FRH were second-last into the band as well as posted 81.875 for an impressive test, but the finally threat to Dujardin’s authorisation lay with reigning World Cup champions Helen Langehanenberg as well as Damon Hill from Germany. Their functioning wasn’t perfect as well as they lost their musical rhythm toward the really end, but in that location was some fine operate shown for a score of 87.286 which would live to a greater extent than than skilful plenty for silver, ahead of Cornelissen inwards bronze.
“I had a fantastic ride today. A lot was downward to the fact that Grandad (Dujardin’s friend as well as mentor Carl Hester) told me to give Valegro a hateful solar daytime off yesterday because it would live skilful for him as well as hence that he would live fresh today – as well as he was right! He (Valegro) felt actually peachy when he came out today,” Dujardin said.
Langehanenberg was really happy to live on the podium, having missed out past times the narrowest of margins at finally summer’s Olympic Games. “In London I was as well as hence closed to a medal, as well as hither I receive got succeeded twice,” she said with a large smile. “I had a peachy feeling over again today, as well as I’m proud of him (Damon Hill). I made a slight error but it is equally it is. It has been a bright calendar week as well as and hence total of fun!”
Cornelissen said: “We came for the team, as well as to larn domicile with 2 private medals is only great!”. Her please stems equally much from the cognition that her gelding is feeling happy as well as good over again after his ill-heath before inwards the year. “I’m soundless edifice him (Jerich Parzival) up, as well as I receive got such a fantastic squad closed to me – I owe these medals to them,” she said.
Dujardin was asked why she doesn’t article of apparel a top chapeau similar many of the other riders. “I article of apparel a crash chapeau – I don’t article of apparel a top chapeau because I had a actually bad autumn as well as fractured my skull. I was knocked out for close x minutes as well as I would never receive got the conduct a opportunity again. I don’t experience condom inwards a top hat, as well as I don’t intend it’s an number that I don’t article of apparel one,” she said.
She did receive got a top-hat on when coming into the band for the prize-giving however, because she borrowed the i that had been sported throughout the hateful solar daytime past times flamboyant as well as hugely pop ringmaster, Pedro Cebulka, whose colourful attire makes him something of a legend on the international equestrian circuit. It was all inwards the agency of fun, something that has permeated the top-class contest enjoyed inwards all 3 equestrian disciplines inwards Herning over the past times week.
Dujardin said she had initially decided to exercise a novel Freestyle for the European Championships but changed her hear close that. “People at domicile were wondering why I wasn’t using the Olympic Games music. I entirely ever did it 3 times as well as everyone loved it as well as hence much. I didn’t desire to role it over again because I felt it belonged to London 2012, but everyone likes it, including the judges, as well as it is technically difficult, as well as hence I idea I’d exercise it again,” she said.
Britain’s Chef de Mission Will Connell said: “Following the successes of London was ever going to live really challenging but I intend that Herning has demonstrated London was for certain non a flash inwards the pan.”
Ground Jury fellow member Leif Tornblad said that the progressive excellence of the sport of dressage has created challenges non entirely for the competitors, but also for the judges. “Now the challenge is to know that yous may run across the best yous tin ever imagine! It’s non slow for the judges, as well as nosotros are equally excited equally Blue Planet as well as the riders. We don’t know the marks that the other judges give, it’s non as well as hence slow to live ever inwards unison. Maybe Charlotte didn’t interruption a tape today but she broke my tape – I’ve never given marks equally high equally that,” he said.
Frank Kempermann, Chairman FEI Dressage Committee, position the ECCO FEI European Championships into perspective. The entire event, which hosted 61,500 spectators, was similar a slice of carefully-crafted home with plenty of drama with the best of skilful sport. “On behalf of the FEI I’d similar to give cheers the artists – the riders as well as the horses – as well as also a large cheers to the organiser as well as sponsors for giving us all a fantastic fourth dimension inwards Denmark,” he said.
Additional reporting: BEF
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