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Belgium wins show jumping championship

13:32 18/07/2014

For the second time ever, the Belgian show jumping team has won the prestigious Mercedes Benz Nations Cup in Aachen. The team consists of four rising stars in international show jumping: Pieter Devos (Dream of India Greenfield), Ludo Philippaerts (Challenge of Begijnakker), Jos Verlooy (Domino) and Gregory Wathelet (Conrad de Hus).

It is only the second ever win for Belgium since the Cup was organised for the first time in Aachen in 1929. The first Belgian victory in Aachen dates from 2001.

The young Belgian team did well in the first round. Pieter Devos was the first rider into the arena and cleared all his jumps, as did the 19-year-old Verlooy and Wathelet, number 13 in the world ranking (despite losing his bridle mid-round). Only the 20-year-old Ludo Philippaerts tapped two beams at the end of the heavy circuit consisting of 15 obstacles.

The United States in second, followed by Germany, the Netherlands and Canada, round out the top five finishers in the event.

Written by Robyn Boyle