Gerrit Nieberg won the Hamburg Grand Prix at the German Show Jumping and Dressage Derby in Klein Flottbek. ARD broadcasts the derby live on TV and on NDR.de on Sunday.
For the first time since 2008, the 300,000 euro competition for the Grand Prix was not part of the Global Champions Tour. The spectators flocked to Derby Park even without the million-dollar series. Around 20,000 came. They saw an exciting decision in which Aachen winner Nieberg triumphed with his gelding Ben with a furious, faultless ride in 46.63 seconds in the jump-off.
The 29-year-old from Sendenhorst was just over half a second faster than Brit Ben Maher with Dallas Vegas Batilly (74.22). Third place went to Irishman Michael Duffy with Che Fantastica (50.64). A total of twelve couples had reached the jump-off, four remained without penalty points in the decisive round.
EM participation in view
Nieberg praised his twelve-year-old gelding: “He jumped really well and gave me a good feeling in normal circulation. That’s why I took a risk.” The win means “a lot” to him, said the CHIO winner, who received 75,000 euros for his success, also with a view to the European Championships in Italy at the end of August/beginning of September: “That is the clear goal and I think that we recommended a bit for it today.”
The son of two-time team Olympic champion Lars Nieberg has been the hope of national coach Otto Becker for the European Championships and Olympics in Paris next year since his triumph in 2022 at the other classic German tournament in Aachen. In Hamburg he was the last starter at the championships on Thursday and was on course for the best time without any mistakes up to the penultimate obstacle, but then a pole fell and he had to concede victory to Mario Stevens (Molbergen).
Sunday Spring Derby live
The highlight in Klein Flottbek on Sunday (1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. live on NDR and NDR.de; 4:15 p.m. – 5 p.m. live on Erste and on NDR.de) is the 92nd Spring Derby with prize money of 153,000 euros and famous obstacles such as the Wall or Pulverman’s Tomb. Last year’s winner is Cassandra Orschel, who was born in Hamburg and is competing for Poland, on Dacara. The 30-year-old is one of the favorites again this year.
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sports club | 05/18/2023 | 2:45 p.m
