By: Mirjam Van Huet/FEI |
Gregory Wathelet (BEL) claimed victory in the opening leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2024-2025, Western European League in Oslo (NOR). He gave all the credit to his 13-year-old stallion Bond Jamesbond de Hay: “He’s amazing. He makes me feel like I’m a good rider.”
The audience in Oslo witnessed a technical jumping competition on a course that demanded both agility and power—two qualities Bond Jamesbond de Hay clearly possessed and fully utilised.
“Bond has great scope and a lot of flexibility, which is rare given his big, massive body. He makes showjumping feel very easy for me. Ever since we became a combination, we’ve been delivering clear rounds almost every time,” says Wathelet.
Despite his victory, Wathelet believes he can improve his performance. “A win is always wonderful, and it’s not every day that I ride a World Cup competition,” he said jubilantly after his win. “Still, I think there’s room for improvement. This was Bond’s first indoor event after the outdoor season, and I believe he could get into a bit more routine. However, I chose to give him some rest before this competition because we just finished three days of competition in Brussels (CSIO5*)”
The majority of the 40 athletes and horses competing in the 1.60m course at the Telenor Arena came from Europe, including the second and third-placed riders who followed Wathelet.
Edouard Schmitz (SUI) with Gamin van’t Naastveldhof secured second place, while Julien Gonin (FRA) with Valou de Lys claimed third. Both riders incurred 4 penalties due to a fallen pole, but Schmitz’s time of 43.10 seconds was more than a full second faster than Gonin’s 44.19 seconds.
For Schmitz, the second-place finish felt bittersweet. While he was pleased to earn 17 qualification points, he shared his emotions: “I’ve already placed second in a World Cup competition twice. Placing second is becoming a habit, and I don’t like it. Hopefully, I’ll secure enough qualification points soon, so I can fully focus on the World Cup Final. My next stop will be the World Cup in Helsinki.”
Julien Gonin was proud of his horse Valou. “Third place is a great result for the first World Cup event of the year. Valou is the best horse I’ve ever ridden, and she’s even better indoors than outdoors. I’m looking forward to the upcoming indoor competitions, including Lyon and Madrid.”
In Lyon, Gonin will once again face Wathelet, who has also added the Lyon leg to his schedule. “My goal is to qualify for the Final in Basel in April 2025, ideally with two horses,” Wathelet says.
“In addition to my main horse, Bond, I plan to qualify with Ace of Heart. So, if I secure a spot for the final, I’ll have two options.”
The fact that only 4 of the 40 participating combinations reached the jump-off is a testament to the challenging nature of the course. The Telenor Arena, a multifunctional indoor stadium in Fornebu, a suburb of Oslo, boasts a capacity of 25,000 and is the largest indoor arena in Norway and one of the largest in Europe. The space is ideal for a smooth transition from the outdoor to the indoor season.
Despite the available space, course designer Peter Lundström didn’t make it easy for the athletes. He crafted a challenging track for the opening leg. His course included every element of Jumping: short, sometimes broken, lines; long stretches for powerful gallops; challenging combinations of several jumps; and narrow jumps that tested the athletes’ steering abilities.
Wathelet confirmed the course’s difficulty: “When walking the course, I immediately saw that the obstacles came up quickly after the turns. It was a tough course right from the start, and the tight time limit of 73 seconds made it even more challenging.”
The demanding course was – as for almost all the athletes – a dealbreaker for the Norwegian athletes, who competed on home soil in front of ‘their’ audience. None of them made it to the jump-off. Other Scandinavian riders also struggled. But, as always in jumping, anything can happen. This was only the 1st of 14 qualifiers; the next leg takes place on Sunday, 27 October, in Helsinki.
Full results here.
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