Seven-time Olympian delivers new personal best to shake up Paris leaderboard

Seven-time Olympian Karin Donckers and her Paris ride Leipheimer Van’t Verahof delivered a new personal best of 26.6 to shake up the business end of the Olympic eventing dressage leaderboard and hold second place at lunchtime (27 July).

Karin’s teammate Lara de Liedekerke-Meier had tears in her eyes as she cheered her countywoman’s success from the “kiss and cry” area.

Leipheimer Van’t Verahof, a 13-year-old stallion owned by Joris De Brabander, is a full brother to Karin’s great championship campaigner Fletcha Van’t Verahof.

“‘Leipie’ is normally a very cool easygoing stallion, but you feel the atmosphere when you come here – he was like ‘oh wow’, but that was great because that’s just what he needs,” said Karin, whose first Olympic Games was at Barcelona 1992.

Karin knew this flash chestnut since he was a youngster – marking the seven-year-old World Championships at Le Lion, where he finished fourth, as the time she felt he would be her next championship horse. That belief has been well rewarded, with nine top-10s at four-star, 19th at the 2021 Europeans, and now a super start at his first Olympic Games in Paris.

Britain’s Tom McEwen and JL Dublin head the provisional standings in the Olympic eventing dressage at lunchtime on 25.8, with Germany’s Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21 in third on 26.9.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Nutcracker – who were called up from the alternate spot ahead of the competition – were last to go before the mid day break and are in fourth for the US on 28. Liz was the second member of the US team to compete, with Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake earning 30.4 earlier today to currently hold ninth.

Switzerland’s Robin Godel and Grandeur De Lully are in fifth at this stage with a score of 29.1 Germany’s Christoph Wahler and Kartajan delivered Germany’s second score in the 20s today (29.4), putting them in provisional sixth.

French team pathfinder Karim Florent Laghouag, who was part of the gold medal-winning side at London 2012, received a warm welcome from the soggy home crowd. He set France’s hopes off to a strong side with a sub-30 performance (29.6) aboard the 17-year-old Triton Fontaine, with whom he claimed team bronze in Tokyo, to sit in seventh at this stage.

“The bell went really quickly,” said Karim, via a translator. “I didn’t have long to go around and prepare and then it was straight into the arena, which is why the horse was a little bit surprised. Then he started to relax when we went in.”

He said that there “is a lot of pressure” in riding at a home Games, adding that they have done plenty of mental preparation and the feeling within the team is “very positive”.

Other notable tests in this morning’s session include Spain’s Carlos Iaz Fernandez and Taraje CP 21, who is in eighth on 30.2, and New Zealand’s Jonelle Price with Hiaraldo (30.8) in 10th.

“I just loved her from the minute I sat on her,” said Jonelle, of the 12-year-old, owned by David and Karie Thomson, who also own Jonelle’s world team bronze medal-winning ride McClaren.

“She’s right up my street. She’s a proper little feisty, determined, very talented, little bit hot mare, so we get on very well.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout the Olympic Games, Royal International Horse Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also be interested in:

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access throughout the Olympics and more

‘It’s a new page’: defending Olympic champion sets Paris 2024 campaign off to positive start

‘Awesome and amazing’: Tom McEwen gets Britain off to a flying start at Paris Olympics