Mei Mei Zhu wins sovereign in Beijing

As the first starter of a total of 30 riders, the young Chinese woman who trains at Ludger Beerbaum in Riesenbeck, made a faultless round with her grey horse “Cheval de Blanc” already at the beginning of this competition. It took long until Liu Tongyang (CHN) made it like her in order to ensure a jump-off during the challenging stage of the FEI World Cup China League 2013. However, there were ready to compete some more of the renowned riders at the well-known Chaoyang Park in Beijing uptown who also wanted to make it difficult for Mei Mei Zhu to win the fair but technical demanding course of the Swiss designer Paul Weier.

So, for example, there is the winner of the GCT overall ranking in 2011, Michel Robert, who already could collect some medals during international championships with the French team. For the first time he travelled to the Middle Kingdom. He safely controlled his gelding “Uriah” through the demanding course up to the eleventh obstacle before the pair became a little confused through a slight fault at the combination and the fault at the last jump at the triple combination resulted at the end to 8 points within a top time and through which he got the fourth place.

Also Peppi Dahlmann who – together with his wife Kate – conducts the affairs at the BIEC now since nearly one year, tried to reach the jump-off. At jump one at the Rolex-combination he failed with his as to the rest excellent jumping gelding “Ziemar” and therefore they had to settle for place three. Through this they secured a place on the winners’ podium.

However, as the first starter during the jump-off the Beerbaum-student Mei Mei Zhu had high self-esteem. During a controlled but also quick round with her magnificent gelding she put the following and only other participant Lui Tongyang under a little pressure so that he made a mistake as he had the claim to himself to be faster than her.

Through this Mei Mei Zhu succeeded for the second time after her victory during the National Games in this year, to let all competitors behind her.

With an overall prize money of approx. 850.000 RMB, this two weeks lasting event builds the final of the FEI Worldcup China League Jumping 2013. The joint organizer Volker Wulff expresses himself very satisfied with the development of the equestrian jumping sport in China: “The interest in the equestrian jumping sport here in China grows increasingly. For the second time in this year we have a superior TV broadcast here in the public television. The television channel CCTV5 broadcasts this event 240 minutes and the main part “live”! Up to now the rating figures were brilliant – this makes us very satisfied for the continuation!”

There had also been praise from Michel Robert:”It was a first class organized event. I didn’t expect that this sport in China has already reached such a level.”

Next weekend then there will be the final results in the FEI Worldcup China League when the riders from China and Hong Kong will start at the same venue. Among others the leader of the world ranking Ben Maher will be one of the party as well as the team world champion Janne-Friederike Meyer who will start in Beijing with borrowed horses.