Lyon, October 2016 – For the first top-level world competition in front of their home crowd, Olympic team champions, Pénélope Leprévost, Roger-Yves Bost, Philippe Rozier and Kevin Staut, have chosen Lyon and the Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping from 26th to 30th October. At stake are valuable qualifying points for the final that our four champions would love to add to their list of wins. However, they are likely to face stiff competition.
The French delegation will be out in force in Lyon: the riders who won the Olympic team title this summer in Rio have all chosen Lyon for their triumphant return to 5* competitions in front of their home crowd. Pénélope Leprevost (World number 7), Kevin Staut (World number 8), Roger-Yves Bost (World number 12) and Philippe Rozier (World number 120) will also be accompanied by Simon Delestre, currently the second best rider in the world, and Patrice Delaveau, World silver medal holder. Julien Gonin, the local rider who caused a sensation last year by finishing fourth in the World Cup leg in Lyon, will also be back on his home ground.
The best European riders also see Equita as a permanent fixture for the start of the winter season. The German team, Olympic silver medal winners, will be sending some of their best riders including Christian Ahlmann, current World number 1, Daniel Deusser, winner of the Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping Final in Lyon in 2014, and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, a legend in equestrian circles, three-time winner of the World Cup Final (2005, 2008 and 2009) and the first woman to be ranked the best rider in the world. Marcus Ehning, World number 9 and also three-time winner of the World Cup Final (2003, 2006 and 2010) will also be competing. Great Britian’s Scott Brash, World number 10, completes this outstanding line-up: no less than seven of the ten currently ranked best riders in the world will be in the arena in Lyon. It is worth noting the rare presence of current World and European champion, Dutch rider Jeroen Dubbeldam. Since winning the World Championships in September 2014 in Caen, he has only competed in two legs of the Longines FEI World CupTM.
26 October 2016
