equestrian
Show jumper Eckermann WINS in Miami
Show jumper Katrin Eckermann won the Grand Prix at the international five-star tournament on Miami Beach. photo
© Uwe Anspach/dpa
The tournament on the beach in Miami is up to show jumper Katrin Eckermann. As in 2022, the 32-year-old wins with her mare – although another German is faster in the jump-off course.
Show jumper Katrin Eckermann won the Grand Prix at the international five-star tournament on Miami Beach. In the saddle of her mare Cala Mandia, the 32-year-old from Sassenberg repeated her success from the previous year. Eckermann and Cala Mandia had already dominated America’s east coast in 2022.
In the jump-off of the top seven pairs, four shot clean, but Eckermann set the best time of 40.26 seconds. Fastest in the jump-off was David Will from Dagobertshausen. Will and his horse My Prins completed the jump-off in just 39.14 seconds, but afforded a knockdown and ended up fifth.
Miami is the second stop on the Global Champions Tour
Second place went to the Spanish Olympian Eduardo Alvarez Aznar in a Bentley de Sury with 41.22 seconds, third was the Dutch team world champion of 2014, Maikel van der Vleuten, in a Beauville in 41.35 seconds. Eckermann received 100,000 euros for her victory, Will was able to book a success bonus of 17,000 euros.
Apart from Eckermann and Will, from a German perspective, four other couples competed in the Miami Beach Grand Prix, but none of them made it to the jump-off. Hans-Dieter Dreher (Eimeldingen) had to record a down on the normal course with Elysium, as did Jens Baackmann (Havixbeck) on Caja. At Christian Kukuk (Riesenbeck) and Nice van’t Zorgvliet two poles fell to the ground and Christian Ahlmann (Marl) did not finish the course with Solid Gold.
Miami Beach was the second stop of the international show jumping series Global Champions Tour. A total of 15 stations are on the tour program, one of which will take place in July in Germany, in Riesenbeck. The playoffs will be held in Prague in November.