The draw for the starting order for tomorrow’s opening competition at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2024 took place tonight at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Riyadh (KSA), and three-time champion, Germany’s Marcus Ehning, will be first to go of the 34 athletes.
Photo: Marcus Ehning and Coolio 42
The draw was conducted by five-time Olympian Ramzy Al Duhami from Saudi Arabia and Great Britain’s Jessica Mendoza, and the last two into the arena tomorrow evening will be defending champion, Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann, who will be followed by young American Skylar Wireman.
As Ehning said yesterday this is his twenty-first Final, “so I have a bit of experience in it and I know anything can happen, but so far we are quite relaxed and my horse feels good!”, he pointed out. He will partner the 11-year-old gelding Coolio who he described as “quite a new horse for me, he won the qualifier in Madrid and we are still on the way to find each other but he is a really amazing horse and I’m very hopeful in him”.
It would be a very special weekend should he become the first-ever four-time FEI Jumping World Cup™ winner because he turns 50 years old this Friday. However also chasing that goal will be Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat who is drawn 26th for tomorrow’s opening Speed and Handiness competition.
Von Eckermann modestly assesses his own chances, but he and his brilliant gelding who have scooped multiple honours including last year’s Longines title are likely to present formidable opposition in their quest for a back-to-back double of victories.
Source: FEI