Barcelona, Spain – Sept. 24, 2016 – Riding against the top eight nations in the world, the ladies of Team USA battled their way to an impressive podium finish at the 2016 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final during the CSIO5* Barcelona, finishing on just 4 faults to secure the third-place spot.
The final consisted of one round in which the eight pre-qualified teams competed over Santiago Varela’s course. After Thursday’s qualifying round, the teams that advanced to compete in the final were the Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Belgium and the United States.
Team USA got off to a rocky start in Saturday’s final with Lauren Hough and The Ohlala Group’s Ohlala collecting 4 faults, and Audrey Coulter and Copernicus Stables LLC’s Capital Colnardo bringing home 8 faults.
The third to ride, young Lillie Keenan and Chansonnette Farm LLC and Ronnoco Jum’s Super Sox, turned the USA’s luck around. The duo delivered a beautiful round to bring home the USA’s first clear of the night, giving Team USA hope for a podium finish.
Last to ride for the USA was veteran team member Laura Kraut and Old Willow Farms LLC’s Zeremonie. Kraut and the young Zeremonie delivered the flawless round that fans were hoping for, bringing in another clear for Team USA.
With a 4-fault total, the ladies of Team USA secured the third-place spot on the podium after Italy, Ireland and Switzerland picked up one time fault a piece to finish on five faults. The top two positions went up for grabs between Great Britain and Germany, who each finished on zero faults.
In the ensuing jump-off, individual Olympic gold medalists Nick Skelton and Gary and Beverly Widdowson’s Big Star faced off against renowned German rider Marcus Ehning and Krech Ruth and his own Pret a Tout. Shaving valuable seconds off Skelton’s time, Ehning claimed the win for Team Germany, becoming the fourth nation to win the prestigious Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final.
In the history of the event, the USA’s third place finish marks the team’s best performance in the finals to date after a fourth-place finish in 2015.
For a complete breakdown of scores, please visit http://results.hippodata.de/2016/1234/docs/7_furusiyya_fei_nations_cup_round_b_resultsteam.pdf.
For more information about Team USA and the USET Foundation, please visit uset.org.
