Bologna, August 30, 2023 – Yesterday the Italia.Open to Meraviglia – FEI Jumping European Championship Milan 2023 opened at the Snai San Siro racecourse, to award the European team and individual jumping titles but also three “tickets ” to Paris 2024 for the best-placed nations not yet qualified for next year’s Olympics.
The first competition, a C-table run, resulted in a very…… short ranking, dominated by Sweden with three clear rounds out of four riders. This team scored first with 1.51 penalties; the individual competition was conquered by Jens Fredricson (with Markan Cosmpolit) with a clear round, Henrik Von Eckermann (with Iliana) placed sixth with 0.70 despite a fault, Rolf Goran Bengtsson (with Zuccero) placed seventh with 0.81 and Wilma Hellstrom (with Cicci BJN) twelfth with 1.50.
The team ranking featured the defending champion Switzerland in the second place with 1.92 and Germany in third with 5.31. In the individual ranking, the Swiss rider, Martin Fuchs (with Leone Jei) obtained the second place with 0.28, and the German rider, Philipp Weishaupt (with Zineday) the third place with 0.31.
A good start for Italy, sixth in the team standings with 9.42 penalties and third among the six teams vying to grab the three Olympic passes for Paris 2024 (at the moment Italy is preceded by Switzerland and Austria, and is followed by Denmark, Spain and Portugal). The Italian rider, Emanuele Camilli, (with Odense Odeveld) placed tenth in the individual ranking with 1.18, thanks to a clear round cheered by the crowd that filled the stands around the arena. One fault for Emanuele Gaudiano (with Crack Balou, 32nd with 3.45) and for Giampiero Garofalo (41st with Max van Lentz Schrans, 4.79), two faults for Alberto Zorzi (57th with Highlight W, 7.02). One too for Francesco Turturiello (43rd with Made In’t Ruytershof, 5.05), competing as an individual.
Sweden’s Jens Fredricson, leader of the individual ranking: “Markan Cosmopolit is now an experienced horse. Today, he kept the right pace throughout the course, in terms of lines, number strides between obstacles. The whole team did well, really a great start in this European Championships for us”.
Emanuele Camilli, the best of the Azzurri team: “My Odense Odeveld jumped really well. I lost something between the first and the second fence, where I could have somewhat reduced the number of strides, but otherwise everything went well. I’m happy that my ride helped to put the team in a good position in view of tomorrow’s competition, which is much more challenging”.
Marco Porro, Italy’s chef d’equipe: “I am satisfied with this sixth place out of fifteen teams, in a competition that was not very much suitable for our horses, none of which is particularly fast. Tomorrow, we will face a much more difficult task, with 1.60 meter obstacles. There is a lot of pressure, but we want to do well at home and we will fight as best we can”.
What’s going on today
Italia. Open to Meraviglia – FEI Jumping European Championship Milan 2023 will continue today, Thursday August 31, with the second day of competition.
This is the program:
at 1.15 p.m. competition no. 2, valid as the 1st round for the team final and as the 2nd round for the individual qualification.
Broadcasted live by Rai Sport HD from 1.10 p.m. to 5.25 p.m.; by Sky Sport Action from 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.; live "windows" and summary at 12 p.m. on EQUTv (channel 220 Sky and digital terrestrial channel 151); live full streaming on FEI.TV.
For results and starting list CLICK HERE