The Vice President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Prince Fahad bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz, in the presence of the President of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), Ingmar de Vos, crowned Swedish rider Henrik von Eckermann with the Showjumping World Cup title at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in the capital, Riyadh, on the final day of the Show Jumping and Dressage World Cup.
The Swedish rider, ranked first in the world, succeeded in maintaining his title for the second year in a row and won the race of 1.60 meters' height without error throughout the tournament during 67.33 seconds, amidst high attendance of audience.
French rider Julien Epaillard won second place in the championship with a time of 66.52 seconds, with 4 faults, while Swedish rider Peder Fredricson came third with a time of 66.39 seconds, with 6 faults.
The championship was launched last Wednesday in Riyadh for the first time in the Middle East, with the participation of 51 male and female riders and 60 horses representing 24 countries, with financial prizes amounting to 2.6 million euros (SAR 10.4 million), which is considered the most expensive in the history of the Showjumping World Cups.
