Phoebe Peters Creates History at European Pony Championships Winning Freestyle with World Record Score & Individual Gold, Britain’s First Ever Individual Medals
Phoebe Peters Creates History at European Pony Championships Winning Freestyle with World Record Score & Individual Gold, Britain’s First Ever Individual Medals
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AREZZO, Italy, July 28–Phoebe Peters on SL Lucci created history to win European Pony Championship gold medals in the Freestyle with a world record score and a personal best score in the Individual for first place, the first ever individual championship medals for Great Britain.
The 14-year-old Phoebe and her mother’s Danish-born German Riding Pony (Lukas x Bazar) scored 84.00 per cet for the gold in the Freestyle Sunday after posting apersonal best of 79.049 per cent in th Individual Saturday.The score beat the world record of 83.917 per cent set by Semmieke Rothenberger of Germany and Deinhard B at Hagen, Germany in June.
The Netherlands’ top combination of Lisanne Zoutendijk and Champ of Class won silver in the Freestyle with 80.775 per cent after taking the bronze in the Individual on 77.317 per cent.
Semmieke Rothenberger of Germany and Deinhard B scored 80.625 per cent for the Freestyle bronze after posting 78.463 per cent for the Individual silver, a recovery from their disappointing ride in the team competition where theirs was the discard score.
The scores of 84.000 per cent for the Freestyle, 79.049 per cent in the individual and 77.795 at the top of the rankings in the team competitions were personal bests for Phoebe and the 11-year-old Lucci, their previous three bests being in France, 80.330 per cent in the Freestyle at Vidauban in March, 76.410 per cent in team at Compiègne in June and 76.536 per cent in individual in Saumur in May.
A total of 15 lined up in the Freestyle but from the outset the natural lightness of SL Lucci and the graceful, flowing lines of the ride saw the British rider’s score begin to soar as she took particular advantage of their exceptional symmetry in canter. The entire test had a sense of calm cooperation, and as they marched up the centerline it was clear they were about to create a sensation. Spectators gasped when 84 per cent went up on the scoreboard.
“I can hardly believe it!” Phoebe said afterward.
“It feels great.” silver medallist Lisanne Zoutendijk said. “I didn’t expect to finish so high, I came here hoping to finish in the top 10 so to take bronze (in the Individual) and silver (Freestyle) is amazing.”
Semmieke Rothenberger admitted that in her team test, “things didn’t go so well for us. I expected more, but in the Individual it was a lot better and we finished second, and then today it was very close and I took bronze.”
In the Individual, Phoebe put her stamp on the competition when fifth to go, and from there it was up to the rest to catch her. None came seriously close until Lisanne Zoutendijk and her nine-year-old gelding that took individual gold for Dutch compatriot Sanne Vos last year at Fontainebleau but her score of 78.463 per cent was not enough.
Everyone was aware that if Deinhard B could show the class that has already made him a living legend at the age of 14 and a world-record holder following his 81.3 per cent score at the final German qualifier in Hagen, Germany last month, then his 13-year-old rider, Semmieke Rothenberger, might just push the Briton off the top of the podium. Fifth last to go, Deinhard posted some excellent scores, but despite behaving more sensibly than during his team test, the pair had to settle for silver.
British Chef d’Equipe, Liz Mills, was almost speechless at the result.
“Our first-ever Individual medal!” she said. “We were all hoping for good things here because they (Peters and Lucci) have been so very, very consistent. They won at Saumur and Compiegne–and at Vidauban they won six tests. In total they have won 11 our of 15 in the last while. They are a fantastic partnership.”
Asked how she felt about her victory, Phoebe was modest.
“I’m really pleased with how it went,” she said. “Every time I ask, he gives me 110 per cent, and he tries so hard for me.”
She was particularly pleased with “the simple changes, he’s very strong at that, and today they pulled the score up again”. She says she is inspired by Peter Storr, her coach, and by the Olympic performances of the British senior team.
Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester, she said, “have paved the way for us all now.”
Phoebe made her international debut at FEI pony level in 2011 with Hillmen. At the 2012 Europeans, with Lucci she finished 14th in individual and freestyle and Britain was 4th in the team competition.
This year has been a breakout for the partnership that began early in 2012 after Lucci was bought by Phoebe’s mother for her daughter to compete.
Lucci had been ridden by Caroline Aarosin on the Danish gold medal team and won bronze in the Freestyle at the 2011 Nordic Baltic Championships and team bronze at the 2011 European Pony Championships in Fontainebleau, France.
Germany took the team title for the nation’s 23rd victory in the history of the event which was first staged at San Remo, Italy in 1986. The Netherlands claimed the silver medal in the two-day team competition and Britain took the bronze for their first medal since 2007 when they also stood third on the podium.
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