Show-jumping national trainer Otto Becker does without well-known riders at the CHIO Nations Cup – and thus ensures an exciting experiment.
The Nations Cup at the CHIO in Aachen (today live on WDR and in the stream from 7.15 p.m.) is one of the most important team competitions in show jumping. It seems surprising at first that national coach Otto Becker does without prominent names. Daniel Deußer, last year’s winner of the Aachen Grand Prix, is missing from the squad, as are Christian Ahlmann and Marcus Ehning. The latter is in the squad as a substitute rider.
Instead, Germany is going into the race with this line-up: Christian Kukuk with Mumbai, André Thieme with Chakaria, Jana Wargers with Limbridge and Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann with Messi. It will be a premiere for all four horses and for three starters, apart from Meyer-Zimmermann they have never taken part in the Nations Cup in Aachen.
Endurance test for the World Cup
This entails a certain risk, but for ARD equestrian sport commentator Carsten Sostmeier it is one of the reasons why Becker set up this way. The national coach knows what he is up to with the prominent established players. “He can rely on them, all three are very experienced, even in big tournaments, and they should concentrate on the conclusion, the Aachen Grand Prix.”
The newcomers, on the other hand, are now being put to the test. “The floodlights, the championship atmosphere – that’s something very special. Here in Aachen the pressure is particularly high,” says Sostmeier: “Otto Becker wants to know who he can rely on if the others fail.”
Sostmeier: “If you make a mistake in Aachen, you won’t be there”
The national coach described the Nations Cup of Aachen as “Endurance test for the World Cup”. On Sunday he is expected to announce who will be allowed to start at the World Equestrian Games in Herning, Denmark in August. “Anyone who makes a mistake in Aachen will not be there”predicts Sostmeier.
In the WDR interview on Tuesday, Deußer seemed quite disappointed that he was not nominated. “For me, the Nations Cup season didn’t go as planned at the beginning of the year because my horse Tobago got injured a bit. After that, Killer Queen was in America for a very long time and then had a bit of a break. I think they’re here would have been fit for the Nations Cup, but this year Otto Becker decided to nominate five others for the team.”
Ehning, on the other hand, voluntarily decided not to start. “I agreed that with Otto (Becker),” said the veteran. He also has his eye on the Grand Prix on Sunday (live stream from 2.25 p.m., live on the first from 3.30 p.m.) and is hoping for his third title after 2006 and 2018.
European Champion Thieme well placed
André Thieme should also be a constant in the World Cup team. On his successful chestnut mare Chakaria, he won the European Championship title in 2021, among other things. Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann also seems to be in good form, most recently she rode two clear rounds at the Nations Cup in Sopot, Poland. This is all the more remarkable because her son was only six months old.
Her quick return to the saddle cost her all world ranking points because of a controversial FEI rule. Meyer-Zimmermann is now fighting with the newly founded initiative “Equal Equest” for a rule change and “more equal opportunities in equestrian sport”.
“This is not a B team”
The 30-year-old Wargers and the two-year-old Kukuk also delivered good results this year, so Sostmeier concludes: “The German team is able to win the international match. It’s not a B team, they’re all on an equal footing.” However, the teams from Switzerland and the USA are also very strong. The Americans are going into the race as defending champions.