Germany has reclaimed the team gold at the 2016 European Young Riders Championships in Oliva Nova, Spain, on Thursday 21 July 2016. In a fierce battle with its perpetual rival The Netherlands, Germany scored a winning total of 221.842 points, while Holland finished in silver medal position with 220.552 points. Denmark grabbed the bronze with a 213.869 team total.
It was another beautiful morning and the early hours flew by watching many nice presentations by young stars. The much-feared heatwave is not affecting these Championships too much. Even in the middle of the day, during the hottest hours, a nice breeze rose and cooled the atmosphere immediately even though the sun was sharp. The medal ceremony took place right after the class to shorten the competition day as much as possible.
In Young Riders, team gold went to Germany. Their best combination was Jill-Marielle Becks on Damon's Satelite (by Damon Hill x Rubin Royal), who finished second in the individual ranking with 74.816%. The highlights in their test were in the trot work, the flying changes and the half passes in canter. In the walk, their score was a little bit under the average, while the pirouette to the left was not as good as the one to the right. All the other members scored above 70%. Anna-Lisa Theile and Ducati K (by Damon Hill x Rosenkavalier) finished third with 73.947%. Anna-Christina Abbelen and Furst On Tour (by Furst Heinrich) were fourth with 73.079%.
The top individual place was for Dutch rider Jeanine Nieuwenhuis riding TC Athene (by United x Jazz), the combination became the brand new Dutch Young Riders champion at last week's 2016 nationals. In Oliva Nova they finished at the top of the board with an amazing score of 76.947%. Almost all judges placed her at the top. All her fellow team members scored above 70%, which earned them the silver team medal.
The Danish team was the winner of the bronze medal. Their best rider was Maja Andreasen riding Kano (by De Noir x Lebensmann) with 73.026%.
The countries with a strong breeding industry show their potential among the young guns and the riders of tomorrow. There is no doubt that the quality of the German breed, the Kwpn and the Danish warmblood is definitely playing a role in these Championships.
The Supervisory Board of the FEI is in place doing its job: Henk van Bergen and Uwe Mechelen have been working at the European Championships since yesterday and will continue until tomorrow evening, with the Junior Individual, Young Riders Individual and the second part of Children class going on.
Photos © Astrid Appels - No reproduction allowed
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Related Link
Eurodressage coverage of the 2016 European Children, Junior and Young Riders Championships