Semmieke Rothenberger of Germany is FEI Rising Star for Second Straight Year, Eventer Ingrid Klimke Best Athlete
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Dec. 12, 2020
Germany’s young dressage star Semmieke Rothenberger won the FEI Rising Star Award for the second year in a row and compatriot eventer Ingrid Klimke was back-to-back Best Athlete winner.
The awards were decided by the votes of more than 70,000 members of the public from 55 nominees from 19 nations over the past decade. The FEI Awards Gala was canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 21-year-old Semmieke Rothenberger winner of the Longines FEI Rising Star Award, was overcome with emotion when her family held a surprise presentation at their home in Germany.
“I’m very grateful that so many people voted for me and that there is such a big fan base of people that support me,” Semmieke said. “It is also quite surreal because there were so many good athletes in this category, including my brother Sönke, so I didn’t really expect that I would win it again.”
Ingrid Klimke, five-time eventing Olympian and double team gold medalist, said: “This is all still a little bit unreal but I’m so thrilled and happy.”
Carmen Thiemann, Ingrid’s head groom for more than two decades, won the FEI Best Groom award.
German Paralympian Dr Angelika Trabert was FEI Against All Odds award winner and The Ebony Horse Club of Brixton, South London wn the Solidarity award.
