17 Apr BEMER Young Riders Tour: Swiss rising star Géraldine Straumann wins opening leg
(Gorla Minore) The Equieffe Equestrian Center in Gorla Minore, Italy, hosted the opening leg of the international show jumping series BEMER Young Riders Tour this weekend. A total of 62 young riders from 13 nations competed in the rating competition on Sunday afternoon, the Young Riders Grand Prix. The first ranking points of the 2023 season were at stake. Eleven combinations remained clear and reached the jump-off. No less than three riders from Switzerland finished in the top four and thus put an exclamation mark on their start to the BEMER Young Riders Tour season. First prize went to the 18-year-old Swiss rider Géraldine Straumann from Hofgut Kaltenherberge in the saddle of Casalor. Swiss riders Léon Pieyre with Verona V Z and Joana Schildknecht on Napoleon C took third and fourth place. Only the winning pair of Thursday’s qualification, Swede Ebba Danielsson and Equus Tame, were able to break the Swiss phalanx. However, even they could not come close to Straumann’s time of 39.89 seconds, which resulted in second place. The best German competitor was Johanna Beckmann in 16th place.
Young talent from Basel
Géraldine Straumann has been riding since childhood and lives just a stone’s throw away from Basel. The daughter of Thomas Straumann, President of the Longines CHI Classics Basel, is already highly decorated in junior sport. In 2018, she represented her nation’s colours at the European Championships in Fontainebleau as a member of the Children’s Squad and won the Swiss Junior Championship in 2021. This year she has already impressed with clear rounds at the 5* Championships in Basel and Leipzig.
The BEMER Young Riders Tour is making its second stop in Gorla Minore after 2022 and has clearly gained attention and prestige among the U21 generation. The jumping series for young riders creates a bridge to international senior sport and word has spread. So this weekend there were some familiar faces from the first season who now have the tour firmly on their season schedule. The three first-placed riders of the 2022 ranking, Matthis Westendarp (Wallenhorst), Elena Datti (ITA) and Aleksandra Kieznowska (POL) have shown the way, and this year there is again the chance to win starting places on the classic BEMER Riders Tour in the following season. Further details on the event concept can be found online at www.riderstour.de/en/bemer-young-riders-tour.
Result BEMER Young Riders Tour, YR Grand Prix Gorla Minore:
1st Géraldine Straumann (SUI), Casalor, 0/39.89 – 20 points.
2nd Ebba Danielsson (SWE), Equus Tame 0/40.13 – 17 points
3rd Léon Pieyre (SUI), Verona V Z 0/40.86 – 15 points
4th Joana Schildknecht (SUI), Napoleon C, 0/41.03 – 13 points
5th David Moser (AUT), Chicca Blue 2, 0/42.46 – 11 points
6th Ramatou Ouedraogo (FRA), GFE Excalibur de la Tour Vidal 0/44,62 – 10 points
The upcoming stops of the BEMER Young Riders Tour are :
Compiègne, FRA (27 – 30 April 2023)
Lamprechtshausen, AUT (3 – 7 May 2023)
Samorin, SVK (11 – 14 May 2023)
Zuidwolde, NED (30 May – 4 June 2023)
Future Champions in Hagen a.T.W. (13 – 18 June 2023)
Dielsdorf-Zurich, CH (23 – 27 August 2023)
FINAL: Opglabeek, BEL (13 – 17 September 2023)
Photo: The first points of the BEMER Young Riders Tour are awarded: Geraldine Straumann (CH) wins ahead of Ebba Danielsson (SWE) and Léon Pieyre (SUI) (c) Sassofotografie