The Belgian dressage team that unlocked a team slot for Paris at the 2023 European Championships in Riesenbeck has been honoured at the 2024 EquiGala on 15 January 2024.
The EquiGala was held at Docks Dome in Brussels and is the most important annual celebration of the successes achieved in Belgian equestrian sport.
Six awards were handed out at this gala: rookie of the year, team of the year, jury's trophy, equistar for best performance, horse of the year and athlete of the year. Three awards went to show jumpers, one to eventing, one to driving, and one to dressage.
The Belgian dressage team - consisting of Larissa Pauluis, Charlotte Defalque, Flore de Winne, Domien Michiels and team captain Jeroen van Lent - received the "Jury's trophy". For the first time in 100 years Belgium directly qualified a dressage team at the Olympics. In 2021 it fielded a composite team last minute as another country dropped out.
The Belgian equestrian federation described this as "a historic performance and an unforgettable moment."
The prizes went to:
- Rookie of the Year: Clementine Lux (Children show jumper)
- Team of the Year: Belgian driving team, incl. Dries Degrieck, Glenn Geerts, and Tom Stokmans
- Jury's Trophy: Belgian dressage team, incl. Larissa Pauluis, Charlotte Defalque, Flore de Winne, Domien Michiels
- Horse of the Year: IQ van het Steentje (show jumper)
- Athlete of the Year: Wilm Vermeir (show jumper)
- Equistar for Best Performance: Belgian eventing team, incl. Cyril Gavrilovic, Jarno Verwimp, Lara de Liedekerke, and Karin Donckers
Photo © Dirk Caremans
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