Final
Four
03/09/2006
- We Are the Champions, We Are the Champions, of the World
2006 World Champion Jos Lansink with Beezie Madden (silver), bronze
medallist Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (bronze) and Edwina Alexander,
4th. At the end of a grandiose Jumping Finale, Jos Lansink (BEL) was crowned
the 2006 World Individual Jumping Champion without having committed, himself or
his grey stallion Cavalor Cumano, a single mistake for the whole competition with
rotation of horses. The silver goes to Beezie Madden (USA)
and the bronze to (GER)
Meredith
Michaels-Beerbaum (GER).
It was a day of fabulous sport
and, most importantly, of fun and pleasure. “It was a lot a fun,” a
smiling bronze medallist Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum said. “It was
not as stressful as I had imagined.”
Was the 8-fence 10-jumping
effort course too easy or were the riders and their mounts too talented? In front
of some 50,000 breathless spectators, a clear round followed a clear round which
was followed by yet another clear round. Sceptics had questioned the three ladies’
– Edwina Alexander (AUS), Beezie Madden and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum
– abilities to ride Jos Lansink’s energetic Cavalor Cumano but the
problems did not come with this well educated horse.
Meredith’s
clever Shutterfly is particularly sensitive to noise and is usually never
walked and exercised inside a competition venue. Today’s ovations proved
too much of a stress for him and he would not let Edwina Alexander’s
saddle be put on him. When that finally happened, she rode beautifully but a little
too much of a hand caused the first bar – after 15 rounds - to fall definitely
annihilating Edwina’s hopes for a medal.
A jump-off
was needed to break the tie between the remaining three riders, all of whom had
gone clear so far. Clear for Jos and Cumano and a time of 45.01s; one fence
down for Meredith and a fantastic time of 43.74 s for Beezie but
one – the last – fatal bar down. “Authentic is a horse with a lot
of blood and perhaps we both let go a bit too early thinking we were home free
after the penultimate vertical,” Beezie Madden said.
The
2006 FEI World Equestrian Games finish in a flourish of sporting triumph and emotion.
The FEI flag is now Kentucky’s and a beautiful page of horsesport has been
written. But before we turn it for good, let us pause for a moment and think about
what makes a true champion. Talent no doubt, good horses of course, a lot of work
for sure, a little luck perhaps. And yet all these combined together make up for
a very good and successful rider but not quite for a champion. The magical touch
that makes the difference is faith and team spirit: to hope against hope, to fight
until the end, to never let go, to believe whatever the odds, to always see your
success as a tribute to a team. And this is why Anky, Meredith, Zara,
Jos, Tim, Jeroen, Megan or Virginie have medals and we don’t.
*
* * * *
In
the first round, Edwina Alexander (AUS) has four faults on the own horse.
Jos
Lansink (NED, Meredith Michaels Beerbaum (GER), and Beezie Madden (USA)
each jumped clean on their own horeses and jumped clean on each others
horses. Edwina Alexander was eliminated.
Therefore
there was a jump off against the clock among the other three, the result of which
was:
Jos
Lansink (NED) - 0 faults, time - 45.10 = Individual Gold Medal
Beezie
Madden (USA) - 4 faults, time 43.74 = Individual
Silver medal
Meredith
Michaels Beerbaum (GER) - 4 faults, time 45.40 = Individual Bronze Medal
