Host Germany rules the 10th WUEC Podium

AACHEN – The gold medal in dressage, in the Team Combined competition and in the individual combined competition is the impressive outcome of the German riders Charlotte Rehborn, Lisette Ahrens and Nadine Kraft. This means that three out of four world championship titles stay in Germany. The hosts lived up to the expectations.

Yesterday, August 26^th, on the last day of competition the riders had their final chance to win a medal. The day started with the decision in the individual dressage competition. In the small final German rider Lisette Ahrens won the bronze medal against Milou Anthonisse from the Netherlands. In the individual dressage final Charlotte Rehborn, another German rider, was competing for the gold. In the last round the German rider and her opponent from Austria Charlotte Dobretsberger had to present a freestyle and a compulsory task. With a small advantage of 0.77 percent Charlotte Rehborn from Germany won the gold medal. “It was a really special experience to be here. Normally only the big stars of our sports are riding here” said Charlotte Rehborn at the press conference.

Medal Podium Team Combined

The next competition was the team combined, it consists of a dressage test in the team and the individual rides of the three team members. After the dressage the German team was in the lead, ahead of the French (Thibault Destrebecq, Benoit Denisot, Estelle Quittet) and the team of New Zealand (Chloe Akers, Rachael Bentall, Helen Bruce). The decision had to wait until the show jumping. The challenging course required all the attention of the 9 riders. It was a close competition, therefore the two last riders determined the outcome. In the end the German team won the exciting final before the French team and the team of New Zealand who came in second and third. “The team combined gold medal was the one we really wanted to win” said Lisette Ahrens at the press conference.

Individual Combined Podium in Black-Red-Gold

The Individual Combined Podium

In the small final of the individual category the French starter Thibault Destrebecq and Lisette Ahrens from Germany competed for the bronze medal. On Fortunas Forever both riders ended the course with 20 faults. Due to that the winner had to be determined by the time scoring. In a time of 57.93 seconds Destrebecq managed the course about five seconds faster than Lisette Ahrens, for that he won bronze. In the final Emil Flamm from Norway and Diana Marsa from Spain met. Flamm began on Capitols Rouge and hat to show all his skills to keep the horse from refusing at the fourth fence. In the end of his round he had 16.75 penalty points and a time of 74.64 seconds. His Spanish opponent rode a remarkable clear round on Cypriano. She made the course in a time of 71.38 seconds. After that, the horses were switched and Marsa could win the struggle for the gold medal. Two days after her 23rd birthday she gave the most beautiful present to herself. “It motivates me to keep on with the hard work. Maybe I will come back to Aachen one day” she explained.

The Dressage Podium

The fourth gold medal of the day again went to Germany again. In the individual combined competition, where, in the end, the results of dressage and showjumping are summed up, the podium was predominantly black-red-gold: gold for Lisette Ahrens, silver for Charlotte Rehborn and bronze for Nadine Kraft. “During training before the competition we tried to ride many different horses and prepare us for the many different horses here at the WUEC”, revealed Kraft the secret of their success. Also the home advantage was surely not to underestimate. “The fan support was awesome”, said Rehborn.

After five exciting competition days Daniel Armbruster, FISU Technical Chair for Equestrian, drew a positive conclusion. “The tournament was a great success. The riders’ level was as good as the horses’ and the Organizing Committee presented us all a special world championship.” Dr. Verena Burk, President of the WUEC Organizing Committee, said: “Many delegations told me that they felt very comfortable in Aachen. We were able to convince as organizers and as hosts. We raised the bar for the next organizers in 2014.”

Great Emotions in the End

Mr. Bayasgalan receives the FISU flag from Mrs. BurkThe closing medal ceremony offered already in the beginning a first highlight. Accompanied by the melody of Black Pearl the protagonists of the first awarding ceremony entered into the stadium. The audience cheered the German Team and their gold medal with standing ovations. Also Charlotte Rehborn was celebrated by the enthusiastic fans for her gold medal. The German fans and neutral spectators did no longer stay in their seats as the Awarding Ceremony for the individual combined competition took place in the stadium. When there were three German flags hoisted in honor of the German success, the audience was again jubilating. Bayasgalan Danzandorj, FISU Treasurer, thanked the organizers, partners and sponsors of WUEC as well as all volunteers for their commitment in his concluding speech. The WUEC finally ended with the presentation of the FISU flag from OC President Dr. Verena Burk to Mr. Danzadorj following the closing ceremony.

(Source: OC)