Japan Wins 2016 Rio Olympic Team Start, South Africa & Korea Capture Individual Places
Japan Wins 2016 Rio Olympic Team Start, South Africa & Korea Capture Individual Places
5 years ago StraightArrow
Comments Off on Japan Wins 2016 Rio Olympic Team Start, South Africa & Korea Capture Individual Places
Japanese team that qualified the nation for a start at the 2016 Olmpic Games. Photo courtesy Peterhof Dressur Gala.
PERL-BORG, Germany, Sept. 11, 2015–Japan won a team place at the 2016 Olympic Games with a slim victory Friday over South Africa vying for its first ever Olympic dressage appearance at a special qualifying event at the Peterhof Dressur Gala.
South Africa did, however, win an individual slot that will be the first Olympic dressage start from the nation. South Korea’s Dongseon Kim on Bukowski also won an individual start.
The competition was a nail-biter, going down to the last Japanese combination of Masanao Takahashi on Fabriano who needed a score of 68.600 per cent to pull even with South Africa. The pair scored 68.660 per cent and the total of the three best scores was 200.58, 0.06 ahead of South Africa on 200.52. Kazakhstan finished on 192.96 at the special event that was the last to qualify a team directly to the Olympics.
The Japanese, coached by the German father-son team of Jürgen and Christoph Koschel, burst into tears and hugged each other when the last result for their squad gave them the Olympic slot. Japan fielded a team at the Olympics in 2008.
Jürgen and Christoph Koschel (center) with Japanese team officials.
Japan will join Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United States in the lineup. Nations can, though, qualify a so-called “composite” team if three individual combinations from the same country make the cut in the rankings.
Of the 60 starting places allocated to dressage, 20 have been set aside for individuals and South Africa and Korea join Canada and Mexico that have already claimed starting slots.
Team results (best three scores count):
Japan – 200.58 Shingo Hayashi/Ramses der II – 65.640%. The 17-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding was competed by Shingo in Tokyo and Germany this year. Akane Kuroki/Don Luka – 66.280%. The 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding was competed by the rider in Spain and France since March this year. Kazuki Sado/Ziroco – 65.180%. The rider began competing the 11-year-old KWPN gelding this year with shows in Europe over the past three months. Masanao Takahashi/Fabriano – 68.660%. The 16-year-old Westfalen stallion was ridden for Austria by Renate Voglsang at the 2012 Olympics, 2014 World Games and and 2011 and 2013 European Championships. The Japanese partnership competed in three shows in Germany this summer.
South Africa – 200.52 Katherine Berning/Brisbane – 63.180%. The 14-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding was originally competed at Grand Prix by Great Britain’s Emma Hindle in 2011 then Sweden’s Mattias Jansson for the next two years before Katherine began competing at CDI this year. Denise Hallion/Wervelwind – 63.220%. The 12-year-old Belgian-bred gelding by Painted Black was competed by Denise internationally at small tour in 2012 then began Grand Prix in 2013, including the World Games in 2014. Tanya Seymour/Ramoneur 6 – 68.880%. Tanya began competing the 13-year-old Oldenburg stallion at Grand Prix in March, 2013 and was on the South African team at the 2014 World Games Nicole Smith/Victoria – 68.420%. Nicole began competing the 17-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare at Grand Prix in 2011 and was the highest placed combination on the South African team at the 2014 World Games.
Kazakhstan – 192.96 Arthur Pieter Gera Verbroekken/Rankrado – 64.640% Janette Bouman/V.Power – 64.440% Dagmar Van’t Land/Wilfonia – 63.880%
WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 2--The Global Dressage Festival began its inaugural competition as scheduled Thursday with sparse national levels ahead of the World Cup event while the city government imposed...
Read More