Aachen, September 2st, 2006

Show-jumping: Woman power in the Final

The Dutch show-jumper Jos Lansink, who rides for Belgium, has got to take on three ladies tomorrow in the battle for individual gold: Beezie Madden (USA), Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (Germany) and Edwina Alexander (Australia). In the qualifier of the top 25 - a jumping competition with two different rounds (Warsteiner Prize), Jos Lansink with his Holstein stallion, Cavalor Cumano, and the Australian rider Edwina Alexander on her Westphalian mare, Isovlas Pialotta managed to jump clear in both rounds. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum on the Hanoverian gelding Shutterfly and Beezie Madden on the Dutch-bred, Authentic, picked up a total of five and four faults respectively after the two demanding courses.

Edwina Alexander is the big surprise in these World Championships. The 32-year-old from New South Wales in Australia has been living in Europe for seven years. She moved in with her partner and trainer Jan Tops (the Netherlands) four years ago. Her 15-year-old sports partner, Pialotta by Pilot, who was formerly a Westphalian auction horse, is one of the most experienced international show-jumpers and already completed many difficult courses under Rolf Göran Bengtsson and Steve Guerdat.

The quartet is quite composed before the final with rotation of horses. The three amazone riders are confident that they will be able to manage their competitors' horses, although they were all unanimous that Lansink's stallion "would take a bit of getting use to". Jos Lansink on the other hand sees no problem with steering the ladies' horses round the course, even if they do have a rather different style of riding. The Final begins at 3.30 p.m.

Statements after third show-jumping