Adelinde Cornelissen defended her title in style when recording her second successive victory in the Grand Prix Special at the FEI European Dressage Championships 2011 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands today. On the afternoon she claimed gold with Jerich Parzival at Windsor in Great Britain two years ago she set a new world-record with her
with her sparkling chestnut gelding. But today's competition was an altogether different affair as, despite the highest expectations, the leading riders all made significant mistakes including the eventual champion.
Cornelissen's class showed through however with a superb recovery. “I knew I had to ride double-well afterwards!” she explained, and that was exactly what she did, producing a run of late scores that not only rescued her from disaster but provided her with the ultimate accolade once again.
British riders took silver and bronze, Carl Hester and Uthopia once again displaying their massive potential, and Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Hojris producing a much-improved performance to that shown in Thursday's Team Championship in which she and her team-mates reigned supreme.
The biggest surprise of the day was the uncertain performance of Germany's Matthias Alexander Rath and Totilas. In the team event 48 hours earlier it seemed the stallion and his relatively new rider were at last cementing their partnership, but from the outset this afternoon they were hesitant and sometimes at odds with one another. Despite that, they finished just outside a medal position in fourth place.
EARLY LEAD
Sweden's Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven and Favourit established the early lead when best of the first group of 10 riders with a mark of 71.771, but Germany's Helen Langehanenberg posted a score of 75.283 with Damon Hill NRW to go well out in front as the second group progressed. That remained the target-mark until team-mate Isabell Werth produced a very nice test for 76.533 with El Santo NRW, but the 2007 Grand Prix Special champion was the one who began the sequence of mistake-ridden performances that dogged all but the man who followed her into the arena when her one-tempis didn't go to plan.
In contrast, Sweden's Patrik Kittel got it all just right with Watermill Scandic HBC who earned high marks for good passage and excellent piaffe to put 76.801 on the board. He was now assured of at least sixth place with five left to go.
There was a hush around the arena as Cornelissen and Parzival set off, quickly achieving average marks of 8.2 for half-pass, 8.8 for extended trot and 8.3 for piaffe, but then there was a huge intake of breath when the judge's bell arrested their performance – they had executed the two-tempis in place of half-pass as the eighth movement and had to pull up and go back to get it right. But, showing the character and professionalism that makes a true champion, Cornelissen stayed cool as a cucumber, and not only did she calmly take it up and carry on, she rode with renewed determination and really pulled it off with 9.1 for the one-tempis and another for piaffe before the scoreboard showed 82.113 for her remarkable effort.
CHARMING RIDE
Britain's new starlet, Charlotte Dujardin, produced another truly charming ride with Valegro, but several horses seemed to be tiring including this nine-year-old who broke into canter as she attempted to execute half-pass. Their score of 76.533 precisely matched that of Werth and El Santo.
Bechtolsheimer racked up good scores from the outset with Mistral Hojris, who seemed much more positive today, but the 16-year-old gelding faded as the test progressed. “In the first part he felt perfect – right on the button – but when I picked up piaffe he realised he was a bit tired and began to lose impulsion”, she explained. His first mistake came with a wrong lead in the first canter, but the early marks were sufficient to ensure temporary silver medal position with 79.256.
Hester and Uthopia however altered that, and there was a buzz of excitement as this relatively inexperienced stallion flashed yet another of his fabulous extended trots for an average mark of 9.8 when second-last to go. Surely, it seemed, this would challenge Cornelissen's leading score. More good marks followed for passage and half-pass, but where Cornelissen had lost it in the one-tempis it was the two-tempis that went all wrong for the British duo whose mark of 3.4 knocked them right back, and with a final total of 81.862 they couldn't challenge for the lead.
Now only Germany's Matthias Alexander Rath and Totilas stood between Cornelissen and double-glory, but it was clear from the outset that their performance would not be the winning one. Despite a sharp first halt, they racked up some good early scores but they were at odds with each other in piaffe and they never seemed to be in real harmony. And that breath-taking trademark pirouette was just not there to rescue the situation at the end as 77.039 went up on the board. It was Cornelissen's triumph once again.
TOP SHAPE
“My horse was in top shape, but I tried to mess it up!” laughed Cornelissen afterwards. “I love it that he won and I'm so proud of him. I kicked myself afterwards but we had a good score, even though it could have been better” she added.
Hester admitted that he was very focused on doing well in the Special, “so I squeezed him out and he got a little tired.
We got it wrong in the one-tempis but his passage and extended trot were just wonderful!” he said of the horse who now looks a major contender for next summer's Olympic Games.
Looking forward to tomorrow's Freestyle to Music, the riders were asked if they were worried about their horse's energy levels, but, perhaps ominously, Cornelissen was clear she doesn't have any lack of horse-power to contend with, while Bechtolsheimer pointed out – “the music and the atmosphere will give them all a lift. I'll just do a bit less in the warm-up and adapt to how he (Mistral Hojris) feels. He can have a long rest afterwards. We'll be giving it a shot!”.