Drama As The Opening Round of Burlington Capital FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final Gets Underway

There was drama aplenty in the first round of the Burlington Capital FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final on Thursday, April 6, 2023. Vaulting takes place this week alongside Dressage and Jumping at the CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska. The FEI World Cup™ Finals Omaha 2023 runs through April 8.

Competition is held in three separate divisions for male athletes, female athletes, and Pas De Deux combinations, which can be of any gender. This first round, the technical test, is averaged with the results from the freestyle test on Saturday to determine the three Burlington Capital FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final champions.

The red-hot favorites coming into the Pas De Deux competition — where two vaulters perform a two-minute routine — had to change horses just hours before the competition, when their intended horse, Highlight, came up lame. The German duo of Chiara Congia and Justin Van Gerven instead borrowed the 12-year-old Max for their routine.  

Their performance, which earned 8.37, showed amazing harmony and spellbinding poise. At one point, Congia balanced face down, fully stretched with her back arched, on Van Gerven’s shoulders with just her stomach touching him as they glided around the circle.

“It’s a great score,” said Van Gerven, who finished third at last year’s FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final with Congia. They are ranked number one in the world. “It was a little bit tough for all of us as we were unable to compete on Highlight. Max and Alex [Knauf, the lunger] helped us through this round. We are not super happy with everything we did, but we did the very first round with this horse inside that arena, so we can be really happy and show some better things on Saturday hopefully.”

Their exercise score of 9.391 was the highest of the class, and the only score over nine given.

The other German pair — of Diana Harwardt and Peter Künne — are ranked second in the world and came into this Final full of confidence. However, Harwardt’s number band came off mid-routine and their horse, the 19-year-old DSP Sir Laulau stuttered, causing her to fall. They finished in fourth place with 7.236.

“Unfortunately, her number went down in the first lifting block, and the horse saw that when he was coming by next round,” explained Künne. “In that moment we were building up to the next lift, and he stopped because it’s something he’s not used to seeing. But that’s sport and anything can happen. We managed the best we could, and I held her for my dear life. We are not injured; we are fine and looking forward to the next round.” 

The Austrian duo of Romana Hintner and Eva Nagiller slotted into second being lunged on Killian by the USA’s Mary McCormick to put themselves in touching distance of the top, with 7.657. Freja Linde and Maria Thinggaard Sorensen (DEN) filled third with 7.267 for their routine on Lunar Eclipse, lunged by American Kimberley Wellmann.

Both the winning individual male and the winning individual female vaulters presented on Sonja Meyer’s 16-year-old German gelding San Classico S, by Sancisco OLD. She also lunged them both.

In the male ranks, Germany’s Jannik Heiland posted the day’s top score of 8.436. The 30-year-old has twice won individual silver at the World Championships and was third in Leipzig at last year’s FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final, but the champion’s sash still eludes him. His routine was strong and smooth from start to finish, rounded out with a brilliant backwards somersault dismount. His exercise score of 9.033 reflected the high quality of the work.

“My horse at home was too old for this big journey, so this was my fifth time on San Classico,” he said. “Everything was not perfect, but I think 90% of the technical test was very good. You never know how the horse will react in the arena because it is very big, but he did a great job.”

Heiland performed to emotive music about the artist Vincent Van Gogh’s painting Starry Night and wore an outfit hand painted by his mother depicting it.

“This makes the dress and the theme very special to me,” he added. “We are glad that we are allowed to compete here together with the dressage and jumping FEI World Cup™ Finals. That’s very cool for our sport.”

At just 16 years old, Sam Dos Santos (NED) is the youngest competitor in the field. His routine on Max — being lunged by Germany’s Sarah Krauss — came out of the gates with a bang, straight into a forearm stand, and he finished with another amazing backwards somersault dismount. His 7.952 left him in second ahead of Saturday’s freestyle.

In an international podium, Switzerland’s Andrin Müller, who is making his FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final debut, filled third with 7.176. He also performed his routine on Max, a 12-year-old gray gelding.

Eight athletes from six nations stepped forward into the electric main arena to contest the technical test in the Female ranks. The top performance came from the 22-year-old German Kathrin Meyer, who was lunged by her mother Sonja. Her smooth and assured routine, with difficult transitions and sequences, earned her 8.299 and the edge heading into the freestyle. She did a joyful double jump on landing to celebrate her first FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final appearance.

“There were small things that I wasn’t 100% happy with, but it was the first time I showed this routine for the season, so it was a good job for the three of us,” she said. “It’s a challenge to combine everything together and still be within the time.

“I’m so proud of San Classico. We’ve had him for 10 years, and he’s doing such a great job. The lights create a different atmosphere than a normal competition. The audience was great, and I’m happy to be here.”

Danielle Bürgi (SUI) — another young vaulter making her FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final debut — clinched second with a strong, smooth, and athletic performance atop Best Brew, lunged by the USA’s Andrea Selch. The 21-year-old garnered 8.092 overall but gained the highest marks of anyone for both the horse and the exercises scores.

Hungary’s Blanka Németh, who was first to go, held on to the third spot. The 28-year-old vaulted to 7.554 on the borrowed horse Lunar Eclipse, lunged by Kimberley Wellmann (USA). The best-ranked USA competitor, Kimberly Palmer, was hot on Németh’s heels, finishing fourth just 0.065 behind with her routine on Romeo, lunged by Germany’s Christoph Lensing. Palmer is ranked second in the world — the highest of any of the female competitors in Omaha.

All the vaulters will contest the second and final round, the Burlington Capital FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final Freestyle, on Saturday. The average of their two performances is what decides the final placings in all three categories.

View full results here.

Text by Alice Collins