The Swedish rider, Evelina Tovek, is the first winner in the jumping classes at the CHIO Aachen 2023. In the STAWAG Opening Jumping Competition she left someone trailing behind her, who has been looking forward to this show week more than any other this year.

The action in the Main Stadium at the Aachen Soers kicked off with the STAWAG Opening Jumping, a 1.45 metre competition against the clock, today. The fastest pair: Evelina Tovek and the Rhineland-bred Contendro daughter, Cortina, who jumped clear in 60.26 seconds. Second place went to Maurice Tebbel on the just eight-year-old Hanoverian-bred Quasi Top by Quasimodo van de Molendreef, who reached the finish line in a time of 61.91 seconds. And in third place, Jens Fredricson demonstrated with his ten-year-old Diarado daughter, Diarado’s Rose Elith, (61.91) that Sweden has arrived at the CHIO Aachen in top form.

Evelina Tovek was delighted to be back here in Aachen again, especially with Cortina, because: “She was on board last year already and she loves this stadium!” Cortina is one of three horses she has brought with her to Aachen. Her next major goal for this weekend: the Mercedes-Benz Nations’ Cup, which she probably won’t saddle Cortina for, but instead a different mare from her team, Azaria Dinero. Evelina Tovek knows what it is like to win the Nations’ Cup at the Soers. She was a member of the victorious, Swedish team in 2019.

The runner-up in the STAWAG Opening Jumping, Maurice Tebbel, has also had “his” hymn played at the Soers on the Thursday evening before. He didn’t compete at the show last year and it was very important to him that this didn’t happen again: “Missing out on Aachen for one year – watching on TV last year certainly got me itching to get back here and that was my absolute main goal this year – to qualify for Aachen. I am overjoyed to be back again!”