Old champion Ludger Beerbaum has won the first competition of the Global Champions Tour. The 58-year-old from Riesenbeck won the €375,000 Grand Prix in Doha at the start of the million-euro series on Saturday.
The four-time Olympic champion showed the fastest clear ride in the jump-off on the ten-year-old gray mare Mila.
For the first time in a long time, Beerbaum drew attention to itself from a sporting perspective. Most recently, after a TV broadcast by RTL, he was criticized for using controversial training methods. As a result of the report, the German Equestrian Federation (FN) announced on Thursday that it would ban the controversial touching of horses at the jump. The rule change should be implemented in early May and then take effect.
In the TV report, Beerbaum was accused of not using touching but using parallel bars on his show jumpers. He had vehemently defended himself against the allegations and emphasized that it was a matter of touching allowed. In a statement on Thursday, he said he “understands” the ban on touching.
In Doha he left behind Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden on King Edward and Jur Vieling of the Netherlands on Long John Silver. Beerbaum received 123,750 euros for his success. Christian Ahlmann from Marl was unlucky. He set the best time on Dominator Z, but had to settle for fifth place due to a knockdown. Doha was the first of 16 stops in the most lucrative show jumping series in the world.