Nicola Philippaerts and Katanga van het Dingeshof delivered four flawless rounds in both the Nations Cup and the Grand Prix at CHIO Aachen. However, despite their outstanding performance, a lingering sense of disappointment emerged afterwards. "As a family, we had an incredible week. Everything went well. It's just that last round that puts a huge damper on it all. Katanga jumped unbelievably well, so this is a blow,"
"The analysis is simple but so harsh. At the triple combination, I took a bit more time, and that can be justified. The line to the final obstacle was long, and I took two extra strides, resulting in falling short by eight hundredths of a second to qualify for the jump-off for the second year in a row. Believe me, there aren't many horses that can make it to the jump-off of the event of the year two years in a row. Everyone focuses on that one round, on that intense minute. But no one sees the time, the sacrifices, the effort, and the training that preceded. Only Katanga and I can judge that. It's so incredibly bitter that I couldn't reward her for all that work and for being in such great form."
"It is very unfortunate what happened to Nicola and Katanga. For the second year in a row, they were able to qualify for the jump-off of the Aachen Grand Prix. And who knows what could have happened there. Katanga is in the form of her life. You don't often get such an opportunity in your lifetime," says Ludo Philippaerts. "On the other hand, unfortunately, this is part of the realities of top-level sports. You can and should be disappointed, but you also have to move on. Learn from the mistakes and become better. Those eight hundredths of a second are a shame, a real shame. But it must not overshadow the rest of the week. Bronze in the Nations Cup, a victory for Nicola in the young horses category, a victory for Thibault in the Youngsters, several top ten placements for Olivier, and a seventh place for Anthony. Believe me, this is exceptional too. I am proud of my sons and everyone who has contributed to this success."
"The analysis is simple but so harsh. At the triple combination, I took a bit more time, and that can be justified. The line to the final obstacle was long, and I took two extra strides, resulting in falling short by eight hundredths of a second to qualify for the jump-off for the second year in a row. Believe me, there aren't many horses that can make it to the jump-off of the event of the year two years in a row. Everyone focuses on that one round, on that intense minute. But no one sees the time, the sacrifices, the effort, and the training that preceded. Only Katanga and I can judge that. It's so incredibly bitter that I couldn't reward her for all that work and for being in such great form."
"It is very unfortunate what happened to Nicola and Katanga. For the second year in a row, they were able to qualify for the jump-off of the Aachen Grand Prix. And who knows what could have happened there. Katanga is in the form of her life. You don't often get such an opportunity in your lifetime," says Ludo Philippaerts. "On the other hand, unfortunately, this is part of the realities of top-level sports. You can and should be disappointed, but you also have to move on. Learn from the mistakes and become better. Those eight hundredths of a second are a shame, a real shame. But it must not overshadow the rest of the week. Bronze in the Nations Cup, a victory for Nicola in the young horses category, a victory for Thibault in the Youngsters, several top ten placements for Olivier, and a seventh place for Anthony. Believe me, this is exceptional too. I am proud of my sons and everyone who has contributed to this success."