Marcus Ehing: “Winning here is an indescribable feeling“
A big number “6“ flashed up on the display board at the show grounds on Tuesday: It is only a few days to go before the competitions of the World Equestrian Festival, CHIO Aachen 2007 (July 3rd-8th), get underway next Tuesday. And yet there is no sign of hectic activity at the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein e.V. (ALRV). “In spite of the many changes, the preparations are running smoothly,“ said ALRV President Klaus Pavel today at the historical Aachen Town Hall during the final Press Conference prior to the event. “It is going to be a super event – even more multifaceted than ever.“ And more extensive than ever – as such the budget has been increased up to 10.2 million Euros. As is common knowledge, after the huge success of the FEI World Equestrian Games, the three classic disciplines of the CHIO jumping, dressage and driving were extended to also include eventing and vaulting. Everybody is now looking forward to the event – including the inhabitants of the city of course: “The people from Aachen can´t wait for their CHIO,“ commented the City´s Mayoress, Astrid Ströbele.
253 competitors from 23 nations are travelling to the CHIO with 441 horses, more than ever before. “But even more important than the overall figure for us, is the fact that the best of the best will be competing in all five disciplines,“ stated ALRV General Manager and Show Director, Frank Kemperman. For instance the medallists of the FEI World Equestrian
Games 2006 – Jos Lansink (BEL), Beezie Madden (USA) and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (GER) will be taking part in the jumping competitions – as well as the entire top ten of the world rankings. These include Marcus Ehning, titleholder of the ROLEX Grand Prix of Aachen. “Winning here is an indescribable feeling. And I will do everything possible to try and make
this happen again.“ As the titleholders, Michaels-Beerbaum, Christian Ahlmann, Ludger Beerbaum and Marco Kutscher will be competing together with Ehning in the Mercedes-Benz Nations´ Cup as part of the Samsung Super League on Thursday evening (July 5th), which will be held as a floodlit competition as during the WEG. Ehning is rather ambivalent about their role as the favourites. “We were the favourites at the FEI World Equestrian Games too, but we didn´t take the gold medal. However, our team is in good shape at the moment.“ Many equestrian sport experts consider the duel between Isabell Werth, Team and Spéciale World Champion and the Dutch rider, Anky van Grunsven, Freestyle World Champion, to be the highlight of the dressage competitions and the German equipe are favourite to win the team classification. “However, the times when we just cantered on past everyone else, are over,“ remarked Werth. “And the fact that our fellow competitors are pushing us more and more makes it particularly challenging and exciting.“
ALRV Sports Director, Baron Wolf von Buchholtz, emphasised that the new disciplines were integrated into the programme on the special request of the spectators and the participants. “Top eventing stars such as Bettina Hoy or the grand-daughter of the British Queen, World Champion Zara Phillips, confirmed their participation straight away when they heard that they would be able to ride on the WEG cross-country course again at the CHIO.“ And because the world elite are taking part, the demand for pre-sale tickets is high. “Yet, luckily due to the extension of our show grounds we are still able to offer tickets for almost all days and disciplines,“ Michael Mronz, General Manager of the Aachener Reitturnier GmbH stated happily. Furthermore, WDR, ARD and ZDF will be broadcasting 28 hours from Aachen on TV. In addition Eurosport will be showing detailed coverage and TV reports will be transmitted in 134 countries world-wide. “The CHIO has never enjoyed such extensive TV coverage before,“ commented Mronz.
www.chioaachen.de
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