Rider News Update from easibed
Issued August 2007

Ellen and Locarno 62 Produce ‘Phenomenal Performance ’ at European Championships

Great Britain’s showjumping team has achieved qualification for the 2008 Olympics with an emphatic performance that also secured the Bronze medal at the European Show Jumping Championships in Mannheim, Germany, the first international showjumping medals for nine years.

Ellen Whitaker, who at 21 years of age was one of the youngest riders at the Championships, produced what has been hailed as “a phenomenal performance” with Locarno 62 by jumping clear with just one time fault. Her uncle John Whitaker, ably fulfilling his role as team anchorman with Peppermill, also produced a clear round to overtake Switzerland and clinch the bronze medal.

The Netherlands Team took the team Gold ahead of Germany in Silver medal position.

The result meant that three of Britain’s combinations went through to the following day’s contest for the individual medals, David McPherson and Pilgrim II joining Ellen and John. Ellen was the highest placed British rider at this point, lying in eighth place and separated from the medal positions by just one fence. John Whitaker started in 13th place, David McPherson in 16th.

However the British challenge was to fall away with unfortunate rounds for David and Ellen, both of whom fell foul of an influential five holding stride distance from the water to an upright and both stopped at the subsequent double.

John produced another brilliant clear on Peppermill however and faulted just once in the final round to climb from 13th to fifth place. The individual Gold medal went to the impressive Shutterfly ridden by German team member Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum.

Ends

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