Jana Wargers from Emdetten won the “Grand Prix of North Rhine-Westphalia” at the CHIO in Aachen. Second was Richard Vogel.
Furious jump-offs and standing ovations: Show jumper Jana Wargers from Emsdetten redeemed herself one day after the bitter fifth place in the CHIO Nations Cup in Aachen with a great performance and victory in the NRW Prize. The 31-year-old won on Friday (06/30/2023) thanks to two flawless and very fast laps in front of compatriot Richard Vogel (Mannheim) and secured 50,000 euros in prize money.
Wargers, who had set the best time in the first round, was the last starter in the decisive run and in a heart-stopping final completed the first major success in show jumping from a German point of view at this year’s CHIO.
Six German pairs of riders in the jump-off
A total of six pairs of German riders qualified for the jump-off with a clear round, Jörne Sprehe (Fürth/5th place) and the four-time Olympic champion Ludger Beerbaum (Riesenbeck/6th) also remained without faults. Gerrit Nieberg (Sendenhorst) made a throw, Philipp Weishaupt (Riesenbeck) withdrew before the jump-off.
Ludger Beerbaum, who only made his comeback a few weeks ago after a serious fall in March, also delivered a good performance. The 59-year-old veteran has had a rather unfortunate performance at one of the most important horse shows in the world, but convinced in the NRW Prize with two clear rounds in the saddle of Mila and sixth place. Marcus Ehning, on the other hand, was unlucky. His horse Revere lost a horseshoe in the course, and the three-time World Cup winner then stopped the ride.
National coach Becker: “We still have time until the European Championships”
For national coach Otto Becker, the NRW Prize was another opportunity to look at some candidates for the European Championship. “We still have time,” said the coach, who “wasn’t satisfied” with his performance at the Nations Cup the night before. In view of the European Championships beginning in Milan at the end of August, he announced: “We’ll think about it in peace.”
The German national team clearly missed out on winning again at the CHIO competition on Thursday evening. None of the four pairs managed two clear rounds. First place in the almost sold-out 40,000-seat stadium went to Switzerland ahead of Great Britain, Belgium and the USA team.
