BUT EVERYONE WINS!
Great Britain have made history in the Netherlands, claiming gold in the inaugural FEI Eventing Nations Cup Final at Military Boekelo-Enschede — with Germany taking silver and Ireland completing the podium with bronze. British Eventing News
There are some sporting contests where the result seems almost secondary to the occasion.
This wasn’t quite one of them — because when just 0.9 penalties separate Britain and Germany going into the final showjumping, nobody is pretending not to care who wins.
Great Britain had started the competition in front after dressage, with Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI, Yasmin Ingham and Kinda Corvette, Katie Magee and Cushlas Indigo, and Gemma Stevens and Cooley Park Muze representing the team.
Cross-country changed everything.
Kirsty and Classic VI were eliminated, leaving Britain without the luxury of a discard score. Germany moved into the lead on 79.5, with Britain breathing down their necks on 80.4.
Nine-tenths of a penalty.
After two days and two disciplines, that was all there was between them. British Eventing News
DOWN TO THE WIRE
Then came Sunday’s showjumping.
Katie Magee and Cushlas Indigo produced a superb clear round, completing the entire competition on their dressage score of 26.4 and taking second place individually.
Gemma Stevens and Cooley Park Muze did exactly the same, finishing on their dressage score of 28.0 and taking fifth.
Yasmin Ingham and Kinda Corvette added just four penalties, finishing seventh individually.
With the three remaining British scores all counting, Britain finished on 84.4 penalties.
Germany took silver on 87.0, while a strong Irish performance secured bronze on 97.5. British Eventing News
And there was still something rather important for Germany to celebrate.
Julia Krajewski and Ero de Cantraie won the individual competition, completing Boekelo on a remarkable 24.3 penalties. So while Britain took the historic first Nations Cup Final title, Germany went home with an individual victory as well as team silver. OA Sport
THREE FLAGS. ONE PODIUM.
And perhaps that’s the nicest part of this story.
Great Britain: gold.
Germany: silver — and the individual winner.
Ireland: bronze.
Three countries. Three flags. Three teams standing together on a podium in the Netherlands.
Europe has accumulated more than enough history involving borders, arguments and conflict. Sport offers something considerably better.
For a few days in Boekelo, people from different countries arrived with horses, competed fiercely against one another, cheered each other’s successes and, when it was all over, stood together to celebrate.
There had to be a winner.
This time it was Great Britain, becoming the first nation ever to win the new standalone FEI Eventing Nations Cup Final. FEI.org
But Germany had an individual champion and a team silver medal to take home.
Ireland had a place on the podium and a bronze medal.
And thousands of people had spent a weekend enjoying one of the world’s great equestrian events together.
No borders to fight over. No old scores to settle. Just good sport, good horses and good people.
Now that’s Good News.
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