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Riding: dressage riders celebrate: only the champagne is missing

ambitious

After winning gold with the dressage team, Isabell Werth still has two more chances of winning. Photo: Friso Gentsch

(Photo: dpa)

Gothenburg At the beginning of the gold celebration, only the right drinks were missing. “This is the latest and driest press conference of my career,” Isabell Werth complained about the lack of champagne an hour before midnight.

The organizer only gave one small bottle for the entire German EM team and their helpers. “I was hoping for a big one,” said the dressage rider happily – before toasting first in the stable and then at the hotel bar.

Werth likes to party, and she still hasn’t had enough. After the victory with the German team in Gothenburg, the 48-year-old announced that she would fight for more precious metal. “I hope things continue like this,” said the rider from Rheinberg. “The hardest part is keeping that shape.” There are still two more chances for individual gold. The Grand Prix Special follows on Friday and the Freestyle on Saturday.

The victory with the team is already the 15th EM gold in their impressive medal collection. Werth started this collection back in 1989 in Mondorf with a team win. At home in Rheinberg there are also six gold medals from the Olympic Games and seven from world championships. She is by far the most successful rider.

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German dressage team

The German dressage team is happy with Klaus Roeser (l.), the head of the team, at the award ceremony about gold. Photo: Friso Gentsch

(Photo: dpa)

With the team, Werth won in Gothenburg in a rare superiority. With 237.072 percent, the German quartet was superior to Denmark (224.643) and Sweden (221.143). “That’s much better than expected,” commented national coach Monica Theodorescu.

Werth also won the individual classification. She received by far the best individual result for the Grand Prix ride on Weihegold with 83.743 percent. Teammate Sönke Rothenberger followed with 78.343 points.

Cathrine Dufour with Cassidy (78.300) is also one of the individual medal candidates. But the third-placed Dane doesn’t count on a chance of gold. “You can’t beat the machine,” said Dufour with appreciation.

Soenke Rothenberger on Cosmo

The German dressage rider Sönke Rothenberger from Bad Homburg extended the leadership of the dressage team. Photo: Friso Gentsch

(Photo: dpa)

One of Werth’s competitors is Sönke Rothenberger. The Bad Homburger showed the second best individual result of the German quartet in the Grand Prix and rides a highly talented horse with Cosmo. “Of course I want to win, but it’s not that easy,” said Rothenberger.

Rothenberger made it clear on the evening of the team’s victory how great the respect for Werth is. “When my parents were still riding, I saw her as a small child, how she always won,” reported the 22-year-old with the gold medal around his neck: “And now I’m sitting here next to her.”

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