Medals rain down on Bordeaux
Press Release – No less than nine Olympic champions, including our eight French riders (showjumping and eventing), will be attending the Jumping International de Bordeaux! World best showjumping riders will also be present: the first ten best European riders of the FEI Longines rankings have made a vow to not miss the event.
Truth is, we only mention 16 riders here, not 19, because three over four French Olympic Champions are part of these two groups: Kevin Staut, Penelope Leprévost and Roger-Yves Bost, all ranked in the Top 10, all titled in Rio with Philippe Rozier, himself a little bit further down the list of the world rankings. All four will be in Bordeaux, alongside Simon Delestre, first French rider to appear in this ranking list.
Five other eventing Olympic gold medalists will be attending Bordeaux. Astier Nicolas, Mathieu Lemoine and Karim Laghouag (winner in 2016) will participate in the DEVOUCOUX Indoor Derby (Friday at 10:30pm), while Thibaut Vallettewill cheer them up from the standings. But there will be a fifth gold medalist of Rio on the starting list of this class: individual champion, the amazing Michael Jung. Not only Germany’s best rider wins almost every eventing show he participates in, but he also shines in the top level showjumping events. Thus, Bordeaux will have the privilege to watch him rides in 5* showjumping classes! A unique opportunity to see a rider evolve in two completely different disciplines, as Michael Jung is one of these riders who makes history of the equestrian sports.
In the showjumping classes, he will ride alongside his German compatriots, including world n°1 and n°2, Daniel Deusser and Christian Ahlmann (team bronze medalist in Rio) and Marcus Ehning, also ranked in the Top 10 and who has a lot of success in Bordeaux: winner of the World Cup leg twice (just like Kevin Staut, titleholder), and three times winner in the Sunday Grand Prix (won last year by Penelope Leprévost).
The three other Top 10 riders will be: Olympic champion 2012 and winner of the FEI Longines World Cup final 2016, Switzerland Steve Guerdat; world n°1 for a long time and always keen for more victories (he recently won the World Cup leg of London), Scotland Scott Brash, along with Netherland Harrie Smolders, 2nd in the FEI Longines World Cup finale 2016.
Bordeaux is the penultimate qualifying leg of the 2016/2017 season of the FEI Longines World Cup of showjumping, undoubtedly the greatest circuit of the discipline. Kevin Staut and Simon Delestre are already sure to participate in the finale in Omaha, Nebraska, in April, Roger-Yves Bost and Olivier Robert have still to win few points to get their ticket, while Pénélope Leprévost, currently 38th with 17 points, will have a lot to do to cross the Atlantic Ocean in three months. There is still Zürich to come before and Götborg after so that all prognostics can be made surely.
Driving, a foretaste of a finale
This year, Bordeaux will only be the last qualifying leg of the Driving World Cup circuit before Göteborg late February, until the return of the finale in 2018. But what a list of drivers! Probably worth one of a legitimate finale, with Koos De Ronde (NED), Edouard Simonet (BEL), Boyd Exell (AUS), Ijsbrand Chardon (NED), Georg Von Stein(GER) and two wild cards, Benjamin Aillaud and Sébastien Mourier (FRA); two drivers who are getting close to world’s best.
Knowing how the international drivers love the Jumping International de Bordeaux, it’s clear that they will want to deliver great performances there. Since the beginning of the season, Exell, Chardon and De Ronde have shared the wins, but it will be the first time all three stars will compete directly against each other this year. And of course, every one of them will want to establish a result which will set the pace for the finale three weeks later.
Source: Press Release
