H&C reporter Amy-Clare Martin reflects on the huge challenge facing British showjumpers in Aachen this week. Will we make it to Rio? Only time will tell…
The pressure is really on for our showjumpers here at the European Championships. If we have bad day it’s goodbye Rio and so long to any hope of defending our Olympic gold. The tension is already building here in Germany and quite frankly, we’re confident by the end of the week the H&C team won’t have any nails left. At all.
You might think that as 2012 gold medallists we have an automatic ticket to the next Olympic Games, but there’s no such thing as a free pass and after disappointing performances at the World Equestrian Games we have pinned all our hopes on success in Aachen. It is a HUGE week for British showjumping.
Our riders must win or come in the top three teams (which have not already qualified) to secure one of the last five places at the 2016 Olympics. But with Ireland, Belgium, Portugal, Austria, Spain and Italy among the 15 nations also fighting for a ticket to Rio – it is far from a done deal.
And with top riders like Scott Brash unavailable, our team really have to pull it out of the bag for Great Britain. So it may be something of a baptism of fire for senior championship team newbie Jessica Mendoza – a rider whose incredible talent and model good looks make us at H&C green with envy. Aged just 19, she is the youngest British rider to represent GBR internationally in over 40 years.
However, team chef d-equipe Di Lampard has faith in the young rider and so do we – she has proved she has an truly unflappable under pressure and already has a Junior and Pony European team golds under her belt.
And she has some serious reinforcements in the form of Michael Whitaker who is competing in his fourteenth (yes, FOURTEENTH!) European championships. Seriously, when is HM The Queen going to give this guy some honours…I mean his brother John has an MBE so it’s only fair right?! Michael has brought a relatively young horse – but 10-year-old Cassionato has incredible scope and with the master himself on board fingers crossed he can do the job for GB.
Team mate Ben Maher has been on incredible form with his 10-year-old ride Diva II who jumped double clear at the Nations Cup in Hickstead last month, and final rider Joe Clee helped the team secure Nations Cup gold in Rotterdam in June. It all looks promising – but they are up against Europe’s best horses and riders and ANYTHING can happen.
The riders will jump three rounds, one speed round and two team rounds. The speed class will determine the drawn order for the first team round – where only the top ten teams and top 50 individuals will qualify for the third day of jumping. Then team totals from the all three classes will determine the overall standings, and crucially who will make it Rio.
Can we do it? FINGERS CROSSED.
Amy