Balve: Marcus Ehning German champion for the second time
Marcus Ehning is German Show Jumping Champion for the second time. The 49-year-old from Borken remained without penalty points in four rounds of the Longines Balve Optimum with Priam du Roset. The silver medalist Maurice Tebbel (Emsbüren) also succeeded with Chacco's Light. In the final jump-off against Ehning to win the title, the two then conceded a knockdown. Bronze went to Maximilian Weishaupt (Jettingen) with DSP Omerta Incipit.
It was exciting until the end at the German Show Jumping Championships. Two pairs managed to remain flawless over four rounds - so it was clear that there would be a final jump-off between Marcus Ehning and Maurice Tebbel. Ehning started first with his Plot Blue offspring Priam du Roset and chose the right tactic: safely to a clean sheet. "Even though I'm almost 50 now, a championship like this is always something different, you're even more tense, especially when you have the chance to become German Champion," said Ehning after his ride. "Priam du Roset is unbelievably clean, but we still have to learn a bit about the jump-off."
Not trying to get the most out of the pace paid off: With their fifth clear round, the two finally secured the gold medal. It's been 21 years since Marcus Ehning celebrated his last German title, back then in Mannheim with his legendary fox For Pleasure. He also has a special relationship with his twelve-year-old Priam du Roset: "I've had him since he was four years old. In recent years he has made an incredibly good development. He's just the right age now and I'm glad I have him."
Maurice Tebbel celebrated his second silver medal at German championships. He was already on the podium in 2020, this year it almost became the title for him and his home-bred, nine-year-old Oldenburg stallion Chacco's Light (by Chacco's Son). With a significantly higher basic speed than Ehning, the two were close to the gold medal in the jump-off - then the pole fell on the last oxer. "It felt like we couldn't make any mistakes today," explains Tebbel. “If I had just taken a little more time for the last jump, nothing would have happened. This is of course my fault. My horse jumped outstandingly, he's nine years old, four clear rounds - that's crazy. I've ridden a lot of good horses, but you don't find a horse like Chacco's Light that often in the world. I am grateful to be able to ride such a horse.”
The bronze medal went to Maximilian Weishaupt with DSP Omerta Incipit. The two only conceded a drop in the first special stage on Friday. With two flawless rides and a slightly faster time on the final day, they placed ahead of Max Haunhorst and Carlo. “Balve is always a bit groundbreaking for the season. Of course I'm super happy that it went like this," said Weishaupt after winning the medal, with a view to planning the rest of the season.
Co-trainer Marcus Döring also drew a positive conclusion at the end of the German Championships. “I think we saw great sport here all week, exciting sport to the end. It couldn't have gone better.” fn-press/mly
