European Championships gold with Beethoven
The Swiss vaulter, Simone Jäiser, is the new Ladies Individual European Vaulting Champion. Silver went to Corinna Knauf from Cologne, Lisa Wild from Austria claimed bronze. She had hoped to win a medal, but the fact that it was the gold medal left the 29-year-old Swiss vaulter speechless. After three out of four competitions at the FEI European Championships Aachen 2015, the medal candidates were lying extremely close together. It was clear that the final freestyle competition would decide everything.
Jäiser lunged on Luk by her mother, Rita Blieske, had to compete first in the Freestyle among the lady vaulters heading the field. „That also had its advantage,“ the European Champion explained afterwards. „I didn’t know at that moment how high the scores of the others would be.“ She said that she just tried to view the fact that she was competing first positively. The vaulter, who came third last year at the World Championships, presented her Freestyle to a very modern version of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony – her performance was accurate, acrobatic and expressive. In the end Jäiser’s second place in the Freestyle sufficed for her to win the gold medal, albeit just fractions ahead of her fellow competitors.
Corinna Knauf won both Freestyles in Aachen with her performance as the French national heroine, Jeanne d’Arc. She was lunged by her sister, Alexandra Knauf. The vaulter from Cologne also dominated in the first competition, the compulsory test, but she had to make do with fifth place in the technical test. Her final result at the European Championships: the silver medal. „This is a dream come true for me,“ said the athlete, who came seventh overall at the 2014 World Equestrian Games and thanked her partner on the lunge, the mare Fabiola, with a huge kiss.
In ’normal life‘ she studies Mathematics, lives near to Salzburg and today she was the last vaulter to enter the rind in the Ladies‘ Freestyle: The 20-year-old Lisa Wild, lunged on Robin by Nina Rossin. Her Freestyle didn’t start off too well, she explained. „That is why I spontaneously decided to do a summersault as the descent at the end. I had nothing to lose.“ Taking this risk certainly paid off: European Championships bronze! Wild’s freestyle theme was the ‚Big Gatsby‘. This year’s World Cup winner explained that she has an association with the story. „This character gives me the mental strength for my freestyle performances.“
8.321 was the final score of the new European Champion, Simone Jäiser. Silver went to Corinna Knauf, who finished on a score of 8.280, Lisa Wild claimed the bronze medal with a final score of 8.207. It could hardly have been a closer race this year between ‚Beethoven‘, ‚Jeanne d’Arc‘ and the ‚Big Gatsby‘.
European Championship Individual Female
1. Simone Jäiser (SUI), Luk, Rita Blieske | 8,321
2. Corinna Knauf (GER), Fabiola, Longe: Alexandra Knauf | 8,28
3. Lisa Wild (AUT), Robin 482, Nina Rossin | 8,207
4. Christine Kuhirt (GER), Fuzzy 17, Stefan Lotzmann | 8,109
5. Daniela Fritz (AUT), Liberty, Veronika Mandl | 7,885
6. Katharina Luschin (AUT), Liberty, Viktoria Mandl | 7,789
> Result ink
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