Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2019: Irish take 2019 Longines title and Tokyo qualifying spot!

Photo by FEI / Linnea Rheborg/Getty Images
Photo by FEI / Linnea Rheborg/Getty Images

Defending champions from Belgium have to settle for second, Sweden finish third.
The Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2019 came to thrilling climax today, and it was Irish eyes that were smiling when Rodrigo Pessoa’s team of Peter Moloney, Paul O’Shea, Darragh Kenny and Cian O’Connor clinched victory in fine style. Completing with just a single time fault, they pinned the defending champions from Belgium into runner-up spot while Sweden lined up in third. And to put the icing on the Irish cake they also collected the Olympic qualifying spot they have been craving for a very long time.

Read MoreLongines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2019: Irish take 2019 Longines title and Tokyo qualifying spot!

Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2019 Final

Photo by © FEI / Lukasz Kowalski
Photo by © FEI / Lukasz Kowalski

Defending champions from Belgium top first-round nail-biter: Team Belgium, winners in 2015 and again last year, looked supremely confident when topping today’s first round of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2019 Final at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain. But the battle between the seven countries fighting for the single qualifying spot on offer for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games proved equally as intriguing during an afternoon filled with thrills and surprises.

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SVAG FEI European Reining Championships for Seniors – Ludwig brings home another Gold medal for Germany as Switzerland doubles their Silver and Italy claims the Bronze

Photos by ©Tom Hautmann Photo & Design
Photos by ©Tom Hautmann Photo & Design

Keeping the public glued to their seats until the very end, Grischa Ludwig of Germany laid down an outstanding run riding Coeurs Little Tyke to a 225.5 which slid him straight to the highest step of the podium after Adrienne Speidel of Switzerland and her Arc Walla Smart had set the bar leaving the pen with a 221.5 to beat. Once the curtain fell on the CS Ranch arena, the lady reiner firmly clinched the Silver medal a half-point in front of Italy’s Lorenzo De Simone who settled for the Bronze atop The Cocked Gun.

Read MoreSVAG FEI European Reining Championships for Seniors – Ludwig brings home another Gold medal for Germany as Switzerland doubles their Silver and Italy claims the Bronze

SVAG FEI World Reining Championships for Juniors & Young Riders – USA Sweeps the Podium in the Individual Competition for Juniors

Photo by ©Tom Hautmann Photo & Design
Photo by ©Tom Hautmann Photo & Design

The SVAG FEI World Championship ‘Queen Team’ from the U.S. not only took the Gold in the World Reining Junior Team Competition, they went on to conquer the three steps of the podium in the Individual Competition which counted 20 finalists.

Read MoreSVAG FEI World Reining Championships for Juniors & Young Riders – USA Sweeps the Podium in the Individual Competition for Juniors

2019 SVAG FEI World Championships for Young Riders – As Team Germany flies to the Gold medal, it takes a tiebreaker to determine the Team Silver for France and the Bronze for USA

Photo Courtesy ©Tom Hautmann Photo & Design
Photo Courtesy ©Tom Hautmann Photo & Design

An amazingly high level of competition, incredibly talented young riders guiding athletic reining horses kept everybody glued to their seats; literally from the beginning until the end of the World Reining Championships for Young Riders.

Read More2019 SVAG FEI World Championships for Young Riders – As Team Germany flies to the Gold medal, it takes a tiebreaker to determine the Team Silver for France and the Bronze for USA

2019 SVAG FEI World Reining Championship for Juniors – Team USA: The Reining Queens take the Gold! Team Germany captures the silver; Switzerland wears the bronze

Photo Courtesy ©Tom Hautmann Photo & Design
Photo Courtesy ©Tom Hautmann Photo & Design

Sixteen National Federations were represented by 34 riders and six teams (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, USA) at the CS Ranch where the battle for the medals in the SVAG FEI World Reining Championship for Juniors was on

Read More2019 SVAG FEI World Reining Championship for Juniors – Team USA: The Reining Queens take the Gold! Team Germany captures the silver; Switzerland wears the bronze

EVS Grand Prix Longines of the City of La Baule: Victory for World Champion Pair, Simone Blum and DSP Alice

Photo Courtesy of Longines International Jumping of La Baule
Photo Courtesy of Longines International Jumping of La Baule

Only eight pairs out of the forty five on the start list of the Grand Prix Longines of the City of La Baule managed to clear the course designed by Frédéric Cottier within the time allowed: Eduardo Menezes (BRA)/H5 Quintol, Olivier Robert (FRA)/Vangog du Mas Grenier, Doron Kuipers (NED)/Charley, Amy Inglis (GBR)/Wishes, Grégory Wathelet (BEL)/Iron Man Van de Padernborre, Steve Guerdat (SUI)/Albfuehren’s Bianca, Simone Blum (GER)/DSP Alice and Darragh Kenny (IRL)/Important de Muze.These eight riders confronted in the jump-off, this difficult exercise requiring speed and precision.

Read MoreEVS Grand Prix Longines of the City of La Baule: Victory for World Champion Pair, Simone Blum and DSP Alice