Apr 03, 2023
The 2023 FEI™ World Cup Final 2023 begins today in Omaha, Nebraska (USA). It will last until Saturday, April 8.
For the second time, it will be at the CHI Health Center in Omaha where we will be able to enjoy this show where the best riders in the world will compete: winners of previous editions, current number 1, Olympic champions... 8 of the 10 best ranked riders in the world will face each other in this competition!
This edition is the 43rd and a total of 41 athletes will compete, coming from 19 different countries: Canada, Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Australia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Israel, Netherlands, Switzerland... among others.
Top-ranked world champions Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward will be the toughest competitors to beat. The defending champion (number two in the FEI ranking), Switzerland's Martin Fuchs, will be competing in his fifth final.
Another interesting personality and work for the other participants will be the Frenchman Julien Epaillard who came second in the Western European League (WEL) and currently occupies 3rd place in the world rankings. The Frenchman won three FEI World Cup qualifiers, in Amsterdam, Madrid and Lyon so he has made enough merits of his own to be in this competition and be considered a rival to beat.
In this edition, we have twenty riders who are making their debut in these finals.
As a great curiosity due to her youth, the youngest athlete is only 18 years old. We are talking about the American rider Elisa Broz, who qualified for these finals in the Western North American League.
The record for the youngest rider to win the title is held by Mario Deslauriers (CAN), who was only 19 years old when he won the title in 1984. Will Elisa manage to break that record?
In contrast, the most mature is the 60-year-old Swiss Pius Schwizer, who has previously participated in six finals, finishing 2nd in 2010 and 3rd in 2012, these being his best results. So, we are talking about a difference of 42 years between the oldest and the youngest to participate.
The riders with the most seniority and experience in finals are McLain Ward and Marcus Ehning, both of whom will be competing in their twentieth final. In this extensive list of participants, there are only four riders who have previously won an FEI World Cup. These are Martin Fuchs (2022), McLain Ward (2017), Daniel Deusser (2014) and Marcus Ehning (2010, 2006, 2003).
Everything is ready and in play for this final. The first final competition will be held on Wednesday, the second competition on Thursday and it is on Saturday, April 8 when we will know the name of the new champion who will be among the 30 best classified that have reached this final round by the merits of the competitions preceding Saturday.