Nations Cup Final in Barcelona: Heavy Rain, Ehning Qualifies in the Opening Round
Barcelona: Nations Cup Final – Let’s Go!
from Jan Tönjes 
The sun was still shining during the vet check in Barcelona. Photo: FEI/Liz Gregg Rainfall of 5 to 10 liters per square meter—that’s the current weather forecast for Barcelona. A state of emergency has been declared in Catalonia. The region is struggling with heavy rainfall. But so far, the competition hasn’t been affected, says national team coach Otto Becker. “We haven’t been affected yet. All the horses passed the veterinary check and have already been jumping. Rain is forecast for the next hour, though—we’ll see what happens,” Pferdesport Deutschland quoted Becker as saying on Thursday.
The show jumping competitions as part of the League of Nations Final were held. Britain’s Jessica Mendoza won the first show jumping event of the CSI5* Tour on “In the Air.” Marcus Ehning finished 11th in this competition on “Coolio” with a clear round.
More Rain Forecast for the Nations Cup Final in Barcelona
The
rain
continues to fall. It’s also expected today, Friday, when the Grand Prix is scheduled to take place starting at 8 p.m. Most of the German riders will be riding different horses there than they did in the Nations Cup Final. “Because the horses need to be in top shape for Sunday,” Becker said.
On Sunday, three team world champions will compete. However, only Marcus Ehning will ride his World Championship horse, Coolio. Sophie Hinners and Richard Vogel had ridden Iron Dames Singclair and United Touch S in Calgary. Those two are taking a break. Instead, the European Championship horse Iron Dames My Prins, ridden by Sophie Hinners, and Coolio, ridden by Richard Vogel, are scheduled to compete in the Nations Cup final. The fourth rider is Jörne Sprehe on Toys.
The Nations Cup Final begins on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. You can watch it via the ZDF livestream starting at 11:45 a.m. Under the new format, all four riders will compete in the first round, and—as is customary in the Nations Cup—one result will be discarded. In the second round, only three of the team’s combinations will be eligible to compete. The national coach must decide who will ride between the rounds. A total of 1.6 million euros is at stake in the League of Nations final alone.
