Great Britain took Team and Individual gold as the Eventing Championship came to a close today at the FEI European Pony Championships in Arezzo, Italy. In bronze medal position going into the final showjumping phase, all four British team members went clear to finish on their dressage scores and snatch victory from the French who had to settle for silver, while the defending champions from Ireland rose from fourth place overnight to clinch the bronze.
Yasmin Ingham was crowned Individual champion when, lying third going into the final day, the two riders ahead of her both faltered in the final phase. The Italian team slipped from the reckoning when two of their riders faulted over the coloured poles, and eight faults proved particularly costly for Matteo Guidici (Mon Nantano de Florys) who dropped from silver medal position to finish fourth individually for the host nation. And it was also a desperately frustrating day for Victor Levecque from France whose stunning dressage and cross-country performances seemed to have set him up for the individual title, only to be denied by a stop and a fence down in today’s final phase to finish in individual bronze medal spot. However a clear with Perle de Boisdelanouse clinched individual silver for his team-mate Marine Bolleret who was hovering just outside the medal zone in fourth as today’s final barrage began.
Just 1.80 faults separated the top two teams in the final analysis, while the Irish finished six points further adrift. Ingham (Craig Mor Tom) and her team-mates Rose Nesbitt (Carrowmore Gemstone), Libby Seed (Mr Vick) and Charlotte Bacon (Three Wells Breeze) completed with a tally of 142.20 for Britain, while the French side of Bolleret and Levecque along with Yfke Bourget (Daijpour) and Marie Gagneux (Plume de Virey) posted 144.00 at the end of the day. Ireland’s Shannon Nelson (Millridge Buachaill Bui), Lucy Latta (Nono), Donnacha O’Brian (Ice Cool Bailey) and Nessa Briody (Rathnaleen Dark Secret) registered a final tally of 150.90 to push the host nation off the medal podium by a margin of just 2.80 penalty points. The Irish were stalking the Italians very closely as the day began, and a relieved Irish Chef d’Equipe, Sue Shortt, said this afternoon that she was glad that her side had not lost out on the medals by such a narrow margin. “I couldn’t have faced going home if we had been beaten by 0.7 percent!” she said.
Sarah Hancox has been British Chef d’Equipe for the last two years and this is the best result she has ever overseen. Talking about the entire British presence in the Eventing Championships she said, “we brought a very talented squad of six girls who have bonded into a great team. They all achieved personal bests in dressage and they all finished on their dressage scores”, which is impressive by any standard. Asked about the challenge of yesterday’s cross-country track she replied, “you can never under-estimate a cross-country course, every fence has to be ridden and all our riders were clear and inside the time. Anything can happen out there, but I’m delighted to say that everything went as planned”.
French Chef d’Equipe, Emmanuel Quittet, held a protective arm around Levecque during the post-competition press conference. “I’m feeling very sad for him” Quittet said, “but I’m happy for the result in the end”. And Levecque’s individual silver medal winning team-mate, 14-year-old Bolleret, added that while she was delighted with her own success, she too sympathised with her compatriot. “I’m very happy for myself, but so disappointed for Victor” she said.
Jasmin Ingham found it difficult to describe her feelings about having helped claimed Great Britain to a fifth team title and fourth individual medal in the history of the FEI European Pony Eventing Championships. “I didn’t expect double-gold, both the team and individual. Tom is a special pony, I have him for three years now” she said before her emotions took over and she couldn’t continue to speak. Chef d’Equipe Hancox stepped in to describe the early difficulties Ingham and Tom had with their dressage, pointing out that in the end a great deal of hard work and dedication had paid off with today’s great result.
Italy’s Katherine Lucheschi, a member of the Ground Jury for Eventing, offered her congratulations “to the teams and to everyone involved”. She praised the organisation of the entire Championship fixture at Arezzo this week and the flexibility and ingenuity shown by the team who made it all happen. “When we came here on Tuesday we were amazed by the wonderful facilities. They had never held a three-day-event here in Arezzo, but Francesco Finocchiaro and his assistant Gianni Gusci Renzetti have done an amazing job building the cross-country course from scratch, and the whole week has been a wonderful experience and a great success”.
As Irish Chef d’Equipe, Sue Shortt concluded, “It was very close for the medals during these Championships and the standard of all the teams was exceptionally high. It has just been a really great week”.