Marcus Ehning of Germany Wins Budweiser Show Jumping
World Cup Final
.
Las
Vegas, NV—April 20, 2003— Marcus Ehning of Germany emerged
as the 25th Show Jumping World Cup Champion with a faultess performance
on Sunday, riding his Oldenburg mare Anka to victory at the Budweiser
World Cup 2003 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Three-time
World Cup Champion Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil had to settle for
the runner-up position this time aboard Baloubet du Rouet, owned
by Diago Pereira Coutinho. Third went to Malin Baryard of Sweden
riding H& M Butterfly Flip, owned by Christina Larsson. The
top US rider was Laura Kraut of Oconomowoc, WI who tied for fifth
aboard Anthem, owned by the Summit Syndicate.
Ehning
received a wonderful birthday present a day late, as he celebrated
his 29th birthday on Saturday.
“I
can’t believe it,” said Ehning. “I never thought
I would win. If you think too much about it, it can hurt you,
you need to go day to day.”
There
was much to think about on the final day, as competition was extremely
fierce. The top three were less than a rail apart in placings
with Ehning and Pessoa tied for second place with two faults and
Baryard in the lead with a perfect score of zero. Ehning was the
first of the top three to go as they were riding in the reverse
order of merit. Ehning, a Sydney Olympic team Gold Medalist, went
clear putting the pressure on the top two. Pessoa did not have
the same luck as he did three years ago when he won in Las Vegas
and he had a rail down in the first round giving him a score of
six faults with only Baryard to go.
“I
had a silly fault,” said Pessoa. “But it caught a lot
of horses.”
That included Baryard who also had a rail, which moved her down
to second for the final round with a score of four faults.
“The
mare was too fresh and difficult to ride,” said Baryard.
“It was unlucky, but other times I have had luck on my side,
so you just have to take the good days with the bad.”
In
the second round, Pessoa went clear putting pressure on the remaining
entries with a total score of six faults. The atmosphere was thick
with pressure as Baryard entered the ring. If the young Swede
had one rail down, there would be no chance to win as that would
give her eight faults while Pessoa was finished with six. She
had a rail to drop to third.
Ehning
was the last to go and had no room for error. One rail would tie
him with Pessoa and force a jump-off. Two rails would give Pessoa
the title. Ehning and Anka rose to the occasion leaving all the
rails up and claiming the title. He threw down the reins and raised
his arms in the air with the crowd on their feet cheering for
them. It was a spectacular finish for the most prestigious show
jumping competition in the world this year.
Las
Vegas Events, Inc. really knows how to put on a show. The opening
ceremonies and acts between the breaks were outstanding with Las
Vegas showgirls, laser shows, fireworks, equestrian demonstrations
and amazing variety acts. The packed stands appreciated every
minute of it making the whole event one to be long remembered.
Prior
to the competition, four US riders received Silver medals for
competing in 100 World Cup competitions. They were Donald Cheska,
Beezie Madden, Eric Hasbrouck and Susie Hutchison.
The
World Cup organization is losing an icon as Max Ammann is retiring
as director of the World Cup after twenty-five years. Ammann created
the World Cup and is largely responsible for making it the truly
great event that it is today.
For
complete results and the photo gallery, please visit the website
www.worldcuplasvegas.com
.
