Global Champions Tour ventures to Valkenswaard
There will be no rest for the world’s top show jumpers following on from the Olympic Games with the ninth round of the Global Champions Tour to get underway this weekend in Valkenswaard, the Netherlands.
Round nine will be staged on the Stal Tops private equestrian estate, which is the home of GCT founder Jan Tops.
Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander (pictured above), who placed 20th in the individual final at the London 2012 Olympic Games, enters the latest round as the overall series leader and will be looking to extend her 38-point margin over the strong field of competitors when the grand prix class takes place on Saturday. She has led the series since the opening round and with just four events in the series remaining, the 38-year-old is well positioned to take the overall series title for the second consecutive year.
Edwina is one of several Olympic riders to contest the Valkenswaard Grand Prix. Joining her in the line-up is Olympic team and individual silver medallist, Gerco Schroder, Olympic team bronze medallist Kamal Bahamdan of Saudi Arabia and Alvaro de Miranda Neto and Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil.
Global Champions Tour show director Marco Danese is predicting a close competition.
“Valkenswaard is always a very popular show with riders and the public. There is of course extra excitement this year as it follows the Olympic Games and we will see some of the medal winners here in Valkenswaard. I am sure we will witness some great sport,” he said.
Eurosport will broadcast the action of the Valkenswaard GCT Grand Prix class on channel 511 on Foxtel and Austar starting at 9:45am AEST on Sunday 19 August. Alternatively, the event can viewed live online at the Global Champions Tour website
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Boyd aiming for back-to-back World Championship titles
Current World Driving Champion, Australia’s Boyd Exell, is in Riesenbeck, Germany, for the FEI World Driving Championships for four-in-hand and is out to defend the title that he won for the first time in 2010.
The 40-year-old was in action on the opening day of competition performing in the dressage phase for which he scored 33.79. The smallest of margins separates him from the current leader, Chester Webber of the USA, who scored 33.41. With two phases still to be contested, competition between the two is sure to be tight over the four-day event.
Already with three wins and a second place under his belt in 2012, Boyd will be looking to continue his spate of recent victories with a win at Riesenbeck.
He enters the event having won the FEI World Cup Driving Final in Bordeaux (FRA) and CAIO events in Aachen (GER) and Vecses (HUN).
Boyd in action at Aachen. Photo FEI media
Boyd’s win at the World Cup driving final was his fourth consecutive World Cup title and capped off a stellar season for the 40-year-old, who on his way to claiming the title, won all four of his qualifying rounds in Stockholm, Budapest, Geneva and Mechelen.
Live scoring of the event is offered on the event website - please click here to access live scoring.
Later in the year, drivers Elizabeth Lawrence and Lorraine Cairns will represent Australia at the Wold Singles Championships in Portugal.
Australian vaulters travel to France for World Vaulting Championships
Australia will be represented by three young vaulters when the FEI World Vaulting Championships get underway in Le Mans, France.
Emma Moulds of South Australia and Lani Maher and Lee Briggs of NSW will fly the flag for Australia when the four-day competition gets underway this Thursday.
The trio made the trip to Europe earlier in the year and as part of their preparation for the World Championships have been competing at local shows and training with some of Europe and the world’s top vaulters. They recently competed at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany, where they posted pleasing results.
For 18-year-old Lee Briggs, who completed his year 12 studies in 2011, the experience has provided him with a chance to further progress his skills. Following Aachen, Briggs spent four weeks training with the European vaulting champion Gero Meyer.
“Between Aachen and the Worlds I have been doing a great deal of training and in this time I have travelled to Sweden to train with Gero. This opportunity has allowed me to evolve and transform my vaulting to take it to the next level ahead of the Worlds,” Lee said.
“My goal for the World Championships is the same as it is for every competition and that is to do my personal best and perform at a standard that I am happy with,” he added.
Simone Wiegele of Germany riding Arkansas in action during the FEI World Cup Vaulting Final 2011. Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
Online streaming of the entire FEI World Vaulting Championships will be available on FEI TV. Click here
Please click here to view the individual live program times.
The vaulters will return to Australia in time for the National Vaulting Championships in September, which will this year be held in South Australia.
Article by Michelle Cook - Equestrian Australia
