First medals awarded today for the Italia.Open to Meraviglia – FEI Jumping European Championship Milan 2023 at the Snai San Siro racecourse.
The team gold medal was won by Sweden with 9.51 penalties, with a quartet featuring Henrik von Eckermann (Iliana), Wilma Hellstrom (Cicci BJN), Jens Fredricson (Markan Cosmopolit) and Rolf Goran Bengtsson (Zuccero), and Henrik Ankarcrona as chef d’equipe.
The podium also featured Ireland (18.00) in the second place with Michael Duffy (Cinca 3), Trevor Breen (Highland President), Shane Sweetnam (James Kann Cruz) and Eoin McMahon (Mila), and Austria (22.77, in the third place with Gerfried Puck (Equitron Naxcel V), Katharina Rhomberg (Cuma 5), Max Kuhner (Elektric Blue P) and Alessandra Reich (Oeli R).
Three tickets for Paris 2024 were up for grabs in this competition; the Olympic qualification was obtained by Austria, Spain (25.59) and Switzerland (25.92), respectively fifth and sixth.
These three nations managed to get the best positions in the ranking out of the six teams not yet qualified for the Olympics, thus preventing Italy from getting its pass (40.42).
Italy will have a further Olympic qualification chance with the final of the FEI Jumping Nations Cup (September 28 – October 1 in Barcelona); it will be only one ticket available for to the best ranked team among those not yet qualified for Paris 2024.
The Italian team finished tenth, with Emanuele Gaudiano on Crack Balou (eliminated after several faults and two refusals), Alberto Zorzi on Highlight W (5 penalties), Emanuele Camilli on Odense Odeveld (8) and Giampiero Garofalo on Max van Lentz Schrans (9).
Today’s competition was also valid as the 2nd qualifying round for the individual final on Sunday 3 (12 p.m. round 1, 2.05 pm round 2), open to the top 25 pairs in the ranking. Among these 25 riders, Sweden’s Jens Fredricson is firmly in the lead after his third consecutive clear round with Markan Cosmopolit (0 penalties), ahead of Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat with Dynamix de Belheme (0.43) and Ireland’s Michael Duffy with Cinca 3 (2.18).
Only one Italian rider managed to make it into the ‘Top 25’ for the final: Emanuele Camilli with Odense Odeveld (17th, 9.18). Instead, Alberto Zorzi with Highlight W (35th, 17.02), Giampiero Garofalo with Max van Lentz Schrans (38 th, 17.79) and Emanuele Gaudiano with Crack Balou (70th, 22.45) ended up their adventure there. Francesco Turturiello, competing as an individual with Made In’t Ruytershof (39th, 18.05), did not make it into the final either.
TOMORROW – Tomorrow is a rest day for the finalists of the individual competition of the Italia. Open to Meraviglia- FEI Jumping European Championship Milan 2023. However, the competition field will be full swing and reserved for the CSI2*. The Graziano Mancinelli Grand Prix will start at 1 p.m. t, followed by an Equestrian Show at 3.30 p.m.
