You know what they say: third time’s the charm! And it certainly was a charm to have Maaike Hofman lead yet another Dutch organising committee and pull off a sensational competition for us for the third year in succession. So now we think a World Finals is definitely on the cards!
After what might have felt like an eternity, we finally welcomed Team Canada back to the international student riding scene. Now led by new National Responsible, Alex Rankovic, the twins Naomi and Philippa Young made sure Canada had a strong comeback by placing first and fourth in the individual show jumping section respectively, which pushed them both into the top ten in the individual combined ranking, with Naomi narrowly missing out on a podium finish in fourth.
We may have had twelve participating nations at this SRNC, but it was clear from the start that the battle for both the team and individual titles was exclusively between the Irish, the Brits, and the Dutch.
The Dutch really left nothing to chance, with three of their four riders making it into the dressage semi-final. And an all Dutch dressage final saw Quinora Klop narrowly miss out on being crowned the individual dressage champion, having been beaten by a mere two points by eventual winner Mylène Spaak.
Last year’s individual combined champion, Betty Baker, who’s result earned her the title of AIEC Newbie of the Year for 2023, returned to defend her title. Unfortunately, her ninth place finish in the individual dressage section together with her second place finish in the individual show jumping section just wasn’t good enough to out do seasoned pro Fleur de Geer’s fourth and seventh places respectively. Ireland’s Ciara Dennigan rounded out the individual combined podium.
Despite the 1-2 finish for the Dutchies in the individual dressage section, with all three British riders making it into the second round, they just about managed to steal the team dressage title to leave the Dutch in second, followed up by the Irish in third. A switch up from last year where the Irish were victorious and the Brits in bronze medal position.
With both Alannah Doherty and Ciara Dennigan finishing in the top six in the individual show jumping section for Team Ireland, this was enough for the Irish to be crowned team show jumping champions. A prediction of what is to come for the boys in green in Paris no doubt!
A sixth place finish in the team show jumping section combined with their team dressage win, ensured that the Dutch were crowned team combined champions. And no better place to do so than on home soil. The Irish and the Brits rounded out the team combined podium: Ireland holding onto their silver medal from last year, with the Brits falling from first to third over the two years.
As always, a huge thank you must go to the many fantastic sponsors of this competition, many of whom are returning AEIC sponsors, and their loyalty to AIEC is greatly appreciated.
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