After a four-year break, there is another German victory in the most important Nations Cup in the world. In dressage, on the other hand, you need to catch up.
At the CHIO in Aachen, the German show jumpers defied the pouring rain and a drop in temperature of 20 degrees and won the traditional Nations Cup for the first time since 2018.
The debutant team with Jana Wargers (Emsdetten) and Limbridge, Christian Kukuk (Riesenbeck) and Mumbai, Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann (Pinneberg) and Messi as well as European champions Andre Thieme (Plau am See) and Chakaria relegated Belgium and Great Britain to second place and three. It was the 29th German victory in the renowned competition.
“Our team delivered super strong laps, and in the end it all worked out,” said Wargers on the WDR microphone. “You always have to believe in that anyway,” said Kukuk, “I was sure that we would deliver and I think we’ll have a drink afterwards.” Andre Thieme had “hoped for it so much, but if you hope for something too much, it often doesn’t happen”.
The hosts were already in the lead after the first round, Jana Wargers with just one time error as well as Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann and Andre Thieme had left all the poles.
Christian Kukuk delivered the discarded result in the first round, but then redeemed himself with a spotless clear round in the second round. Wargers and Meyer-Zimmermann also remained flawless, Thieme did not have to compete as the last rider: When Belgium’s last rider Gregory Wathelet cleared a pole, the hosts were the winners.
Germany needs to catch up in dressage
In dressage a few hours earlier, a mistake by Ingrid Klimke on her debut in the Nations Cup had cost the team of national trainer Monica Theodorescu the lead. When breaking in, Klimke’s 14-year-old stallion Franziskus refused to obey when the clock was running out. When the two finally made it, Klimke took the wrong direction the first time he turned away. “The horse was great, the rider wasn’t so good,” said the 54-year-old, who finished 17th, which was out of the question for her.
Since Isabell Werth and Quantaz also did not get better than fifth place in the individual classification, Germany is now second behind Denmark before the decisive Grand Prix Special on Saturday. However, the difference is only slightly more than one point. “It’s all okay,” said Werth: “It could have been worse.”
The best German rider in the individual ranking was the two-time national runner-up Frederic Wandres with Duke of Britain, he finished second behind the outstanding Danish rider Cathrine Dufour with Vamos Amigos. Dufour thus provided another pointer for their home World Cup in August in Herning, Denmark. On Wednesday she had already won the Grand Prix of the four-star tour with Bohemian, now she impressively followed suit with Vamos Amigos at five-star level.