In front of packed grandstands, Oda Charlotte Lyngvaer clinched the win in the VDL Groep Prize on Friday evening. An emotional moment for the Norwegian rider: “This means a lot to me.”
The four-star 1.50m class culminated in a thrilling final. Nine combinations qualified for the jump-off and the top three finished within two tenths of each other. In the end, it was the Norwegian national anthem that echoed through the MECC. Oda Charlotte Lyngvaer had not dared to dream of this result: “This is unbelievable! Carabella vd Neyen Z (Carrera vdl x Lux z) is my first horse for this level and prior to this I never expected to succeed. So, I also had something to prove to myself. That's why it means so much to me. We gave it our all in the jump-off. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the 1 appear on the scoreboard. This is also our first win together. All in all, super emotional.”
Laura Kraut followed in hot pursuit aboard Bisquetta. The American rider treated the audience to a fast-paced performance that was eventually rewarded with the second place. Tani Joosten and Galdal Me upheld the Dutch honours by finishing third. Maikel van der Vleuten was the first to entry in the jump-off. Aboard Dywis HH he put down a solid clear, which proved to be enough for fourth place. As the last contender in the jump-off, Sanne Thijssen and the ten-year-old gelding Cum Laude showed that the ride could be completed even a touch faster. However, the pair incurred a rail on the penultimate fence which made them drop to the fifth position.
The four-star 1.50m class culminated in a thrilling final. Nine combinations qualified for the jump-off and the top three finished within two tenths of each other. In the end, it was the Norwegian national anthem that echoed through the MECC. Oda Charlotte Lyngvaer had not dared to dream of this result: “This is unbelievable! Carabella vd Neyen Z (Carrera vdl x Lux z) is my first horse for this level and prior to this I never expected to succeed. So, I also had something to prove to myself. That's why it means so much to me. We gave it our all in the jump-off. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the 1 appear on the scoreboard. This is also our first win together. All in all, super emotional.”
Laura Kraut followed in hot pursuit aboard Bisquetta. The American rider treated the audience to a fast-paced performance that was eventually rewarded with the second place. Tani Joosten and Galdal Me upheld the Dutch honours by finishing third. Maikel van der Vleuten was the first to entry in the jump-off. Aboard Dywis HH he put down a solid clear, which proved to be enough for fourth place. As the last contender in the jump-off, Sanne Thijssen and the ten-year-old gelding Cum Laude showed that the ride could be completed even a touch faster. However, the pair incurred a rail on the penultimate fence which made them drop to the fifth position.