Ireland's Dermott Lennon has won gold in the Individual Showjumping Final at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain. Lennon, from Banbridge County Down, rode three clear rounds and knocked just one fence in round four to secure a memorable victory against the world's best riders.
The 33-year-old is the first Irishman to take the title, which is decided by a unique formula in which the four highest placed riders, after three days of competition, jump the same course four times - once on their own horse and once on each of the other finalists' horses.
It is a formula which does not meet with universal approval among riders but it is a formidable test of horsemanship and on this occasion Lennon outrode the 1990 champion, Frenchman Eric Navet, American Peter Wylde and Sweden's Helena Lundback.
Drawn first, Lennon got off to a great start with a clear round on his own horse, the 11-year-old bay mare, Liscalgot, on whom he won team gold in last year's European Championships, where he finished sixth individually. Navet and Wylde responded with faultless rounds on their horses, Navet on the French-bred stallion Dollar du Murier HTS de Seine and Wylde with his Holsteiner mare, Fein Cera.
Lundback, the first Swede and only the second woman ever to contest the change-horse final, picked up four faults on Utfors Mynta, her little Swedish warmblood mare. Predictions that Utfors Mynta would be the most difficult of the horses were justified - she was the only one to fault with all four riders.
Lennon went on to produce perfect rounds from Navet's stallion and from Wylde's mare to finish the contest with just four faults. The Frenchman, bidding to become the first rider since Italy's Raimondo d'Inzeo, winner in 1956 and 1960, to take the world title twice, had to settle for the runner-up spot after collecting four faults with Liscalgot for a final score of eight.
Wylde lowered one fence with each of his three rivals' horses to take third place on 12. Lundback's chances evaporated when she scored a 12-fault round with Liscalgot. Good rounds on Navet and Wylde's horses, both clear and only just outside the time, came too late to earn her a medal. The leading horse, with three clear rounds and only three time penalties in the fourth round, was Fein Cera.
Filed by Shane Murray
