With three more days to go until the 22 Manfred Swarovski Memorial Show, the CDI Fritzens is gearing up for top legel sport on 1 - 3 July 2016. Pepo Puch, the 2012 Paralympic gold and bronze medal winning rider will be traveling to the show with the Rio qualified Austrian para-team for the last selection trial.
"To ride at Schindlhof next to top stars such as Isabell Werth is a great motiviation," said current European Para Champion Puch, who will premier his Rio freestyle in Fritzens.
Austrian and Tyrolian para team chef d'equipe Theres Rantner will use the Austrian Para Championships at Schindlhof as last big test before the Rio Paralympics.
"Big compliments to our hosts Klaus and Evelyn Haim-Swarovski. We are happy that we can be guests in this wonderful atmosphere alongside all these top dressage riders. This is a great inclusion," said Puch, who is the local Paralympic athlete of the year and who has already won and placed in the top three at international shows in Doha (QAT), Deauville (FRA), Waregem (BEL) and Mannheim (GER) aboard his black Fontainenoir.
His team colleagues Julia Sciancalepore, Jutta Rus-Machan, Michael Knauder, Thomas Haller and Bernd Brugger will be battling for the remaining three Olympic team spots. "For my colleagues it's a brand new feeling to handle this pressure," Puch explained. "But it is a good preparation for the Paralympics where there is plenty of pressure."
Pepo Puch and Fontainenoir will be premiering their new frestyle on Sunday at the Schindlhof. "We will be riding our Rio kur for the first tome. It's very Austrian with many recognizable Strauss melodies," said Puch.
The Austrian lives in Switzerland and won two gold medals at the 2015 European Championships in France riding to Brazilian Kur music. "An Austrian who rides to Brazilian music in Rio would be the same like a yodeling Japanese," Puch joked.
Info, images, videos, starter and results lists can be found at www.schindlhof.at, or on Facebook and Youtube.
Photo © Thomas Holbecher
Tentative Schedule:
Friday 1 July 2016
- 08h: Prix St. Georges
- 12h: Austrian Championships Paradressage - Round 1
- 13h30: Grand Prix for Special
Saturday 2 July 2016
- 08h: Intermediaire I
- 12h: Austrian Championships Paradressage - Round 2
followed by a show program with the World and European vaulting pas de deux champions Jasmin Lindner and Lukas Wacha - 13h30: Grand Prix for Kur
Sunday 3 July 2016
- 08h: Grand Prix Consolation class
- 09h: Grand Prix Special (top 15 pairs of the Grand Prix for Special)
- 12h: Austrian Championships Paradressage - Round 3 Kur to Music
followed by a show program and prize giving "Who Wears the Nicest Hat?", moderated by Mirjam Weichselbraun - 14h30: Grand Prix Kur to Music (top 15 pairs of the Grand Prix for Kur)
Winners List - Manfred Swarovski Trophy
- 1995 Bianca Kasselmann, GER
- 1996 Austrian Championships Dressage – no CDI
- 1997 Bianca Kasselmann, GER
- 1998 Christilot Boylen, CAN
- 1999 Markus Gribbe, GER
- 2000 Thorsten Dietz, GER
- 2001 Günther Seidel, USA
- 2002 Austrian Championships Dressage – no CDI
- 2003 Anja Plönzke, GER
- 2004 Rafael Soto Andrade, ESP
- 2005 Silvia Iklé, SUI
- 2006 Victoria Max-Theurer, AUT
- 2007 Victoria Max-Theurer, AUT
- 2008 no overall winner, Music Freestyle had to be cancelled due to bad weather
- 2009 Austrian Championships Dressage – no CDI
- 2010 Ulla Salzgeber, GER
- 2011 Carl Hester, GBR
- 2012 Carl Hester, GBR
- 2013 Valentina Truppa, ITA
- 2014 Victoria Max-Theurer, AUT
- 2015 Victoria Max-Theurer, AUT
The Manfred Swarovski Trophy is given to the most successful pair of the CDI4* Schindlhof (the percentages of the GP and GP Special respectively of the GP and GP Freestyle are added together). The winner is allowed to take home this valuable Swarovski crystal piece for a year. After winning three times the winner is allowed to keep the trophy for good. In 2014, Austria’s 13-time state champion Victoria Max-Theurer achieved this.
For more information, visit www.schindlhof.at
Related Link
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2016 CDI Frizens
