Saturday night, Olivier and H&M Legend of Love finished 2nd in the Longines Global Tour of Valkenswaard. They ride two spotless rounds in the 15th leg of the Tour. Nicola and Katanga v/h Dingeshof got one fence down during the first round and finished 9th. Maikel van der Vleuten and Dana Blue won the Grand Prix of Valkenswaard. Olivier got a ticket to the finals in Prague from November 21st to November 24th.
Olivier and H&M Legend of Love's performance gave them a big boost. Legend just recovered from an injury and so showed immediately her perseverance and competitiveness. Michael already placed himself for the finals in Prague during the LGCT in Monaco. Hence, Olivier is now ensured of his place too.
“Legend was out for two months. Her last competition before her injury was here in Valkenswaard.", says Olivier. "She started competing again at the end of July in Berlin. She gave all of her today. Legend is a horse with a lot of potential. When she's in shape, she always fights for the victory. She proved that again today. I'm really thankful. The reason why we didn't win today is on my side. We were the first ones to start in the jump-off, followed by 7 other combinations. I've lost a second on the last fence. Anyway, our performance makes me really happy. A second place in a competition with many great competitors, a Legend that is back, and a qualification for the Playoffs in Prague.”.
Nicola and Katanga v/h Dingeshof didn't make it to the jump-off. Out of all combinations with one fence down, they were still the fastest. In the end, they finished 9th.
With only 3 more legs to go, Pieter Devos still takes the lead in the Longines Global Champions Tour. Nicola is 15th and Olivier 34th.
