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July 10th, 2010

CHIO Aachen 2010: Further vaulting results
Kai Vorberg and Joanne Eccles dominate the vaulting again – Picasso says “goodbye” – Team Bleyer Rheinland wins the “Prize of Sparkasse” – Top performances in the completely sold-out Albert-Vahle Arena cheered on by enthusiastic spectators

It was an emotional moment: Picasso, the top horse of the best vaulter in the world, Kai Vorberg, officially retired in front of the large crowd. The chestnut gelding celebrated one of his biggest victories ever here in Aachen in 2006, taking the World Championship title together with Kai Vorberg. Decorated with two World and European Championship titles, the hitherto no. 1 horse of the vaulter from Cologne can now look forward to spending the rest of his days at the Wintermühle stables, near Cologne. “I have a lot to thank him for,” Kai Vorberg said about his long-time four-legged partner, before doing a final lap of honour bareback around the arena to the applause of around 1,100 spectators.

In return for the good wishes for his horse Kai Vorberg had a gift for CHIO organisers, the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein: Having already previously donated the blue and gold anti-fly hood Picasso wore during the World Championships in Aachen in 2006 to the CHIO Museum, the 28-year-old now bequeathed his legendary costume to the CHIO Museum, which he wore during his “Mozart” freestyle in 2006. A plait from Picasso’s mane will also be on display as a reminder of this successful pair.

But Picasso‘s successor, Sir Bernhard, has also done a superb job so far in Aachen: It was on his back that Kai Vorberg vaulted to victory in the compulsory test on Friday and the first freestyle competition. The athlete from Cologne also came under the top rankings in the second freestyle competition. However, this time the 28-year-old had to share the winning rosette with Nicolas Andreani from France, the reigning European Champion, since both received a score of 8.993 points from the three judges. Third place went to the Swiss vaulter, Patric Looser, who has been training with Kai Vorberg since 2006 and who is also in with a good chance of taking a place on the winners’ podium at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. Vorberg is still heading the overall classification before the final technical test on Sunday. The vaulter from Cologne certainly showed a unique freestyle, which wasn’t just great to watch, but was also politically demanding too. The song “Wind of Change” by the Scorpions plays a central role in the choreography entitled “Change”, which initially begins with the old national anthem of Eastern German and thus brings back memories of when the wall was built as well as the German/American statements, including John F. Kennedy’s famous line: “I am a Berliner”, the fall of the wall in 1989 after the peaceful revolution, before leading back to Barack Obama’s “Yes, we can”. An extraordinary choreography by the two-time World and European Champion.

The British European Champion, Joanne Eccles, also took the victory in the second freestyle test. However, this time the vaulter from Neuss, Antje Hill, managed to edge past her fellow competitors to take second place, her team colleague Simone Wiegele came third. The two athletes from Neuss belong to the vaulting team Neuss-Grimlinghausen, which just like the Wintermühle-Köln team were not able to send a team to the CHIO Aachen due to a row of injuries. However, since both teams considered it to be unthought-of that a vaulting competition could be staged in Aachen without a team from the Rhineland, the two rival teams joined forces and formed Team Bleyer Rheinland out of the remaining vaulters. Their efforts were rewarded too since after winning the compulsory test on Friday, they also clearly dominated the freestyle in the “Prize of Sparkasse”. In addition to the two vaulters from Neuss, the team comprises of Kai Vorberg, Janika Derks, Leonie Rengel and Pia Engelberty. The choreography is a mixture of elements from the two original teams‘ freestyle routines, the music is also taken from the respective freestyles of both teams. Although the team only had two weeks to practise for the CHIO, they impressed the spectators with a fantastic performance and won the “Prize of the Sparkasse“ ahead of the Swiss team Lütisburg I and Team France. Of course they also had a clear lead in the overall classification too.

It was a walk over for the Austrian pair Lisa Wild and Christina Leitgeb in the premiere of the “pas de deux”. They also triumphed in the second freestyle and thus dominated the overall classification ahead of Joanne and Hannah Eccles from Britain and the two vaulters from Hamburg Ann-Kristin Burmeister and Ines Jückstock.

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