Steve Guerdat, the former world number one, succeeded yesterday in winning the European gold medal with the Swiss team. Afterwards he reacted emotionally: "It was a difficult year for the Swiss team but we managed to put the cherry on the cake".
Team Switzerland lost two of its main stars last year. Clooney, the reigning European champion ridden by Martin Fuchs, fell out just before the European Championships with a serious injury and Bianca, Steve Guerdat's top mare, died a few months ago. "That is of course a bitter pill to swallow. Bianca was so much more to me than a horse," Guerdat says with tears in his eyes. "Losing her was very difficult for me. It is like losing a loved one: it leaves a void that can never be filled. So I want to dedicate this medal to her. I hope she is watching from above and that I have made her proud".