They had to start first in the World Cup course: Gerrit Nieberg and Ben (by Sylvain) had the unwelcome first starting position in Basel. The Rolex Grand Prix winners from Aachen didn't seem to mind. They immediately delivered the first clear round in the World Cup in Switzerland and secured their starting place for the subsequent jump-off. But what looked so effortless for Ben and Gerrit was not so in the end. Especially on the final line the poles fell and also the last jump, a Busch-Oxer, became a frequent source of mistakes.
In the end, only seven pairs won their ticket to the next round. Among them were three German riders: Gerrit was joined by Pia Reich and PB Chaconie (by Chacco-Blue) and Marcus Ehning with his Stargold (by Stakkato Gold).
Gerrit Nieberg and Ben started the jump-off. And gave everything. They got slightly "stuck" in a turn, but otherwise everything went like clockwork. After 34.19 seconds the pair crossed the finish line without any faults. Immediately afterwards, however, they were overtaken: Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward succeeded in everything. Where others did six canter jumps, the World Champions managed with five. This was also reflected in the time: After only 33.43 seconds the journey was over and King Edward was where he belonged - on the throne.
Marcus Ehning and Stargold attacked Eckermann's time. Stargold also galloped light-footedly and nimbly through the jump-off course. And as always, it was a feast for the eyes, a textbook round. In the end, a time of 33.49 seconds was recorded in the log. It was close and Ehning was happy about second place.
Under the cheers of the home crowd, Pius Schweizer also tried to push the king off the podium - in vain. Schwizer and Vancouver de la Lanlore (by Toulon) came third with a time of 34.03 seconds. They had pushed Gerrit Nieberg and Ben into fourth place. Gerrit Nieberg should nevertheless be more than satisfied with his weekend in Basel. With a second and a third place in the main jumping competitions and fourth place in the World Cup, he more than confirmed his top form.
Fifth place was secured by the Dutch rider Kevin Jochims with La Costa (by Gitano) ahead of Pia Reich, who was delighted with an impressive sixth place.
Incidentally, the fastest rider in the jump-off was not Henrik von Eckermann. It was the Swiss rider Edouard Schmitz with Garmin van't Naastfeldhof (by Chacco Chacco). The 23-year-old had risked everything and it almost worked out. The "young wild one" reached the finish line after only 32.04 seconds. Unfortunately, he had a drop, which put him back in seventh place.
"The jump-off course today just suited me perfectly," Henrik von Eckermann said happily after his latest triumph. He was probably most afraid of Marcus Ehning and his bumpy Stargold. "When I saw that he made one canter jump more than me on one line, I breathed a sigh of relief. That saved me," laughed the Swede.
He now leads the World Cup ranking by a huge margin with 88 points. On his heels are Kevin Staut with 63 points, Julien Epaillard with 62 points and Daniel Deusser with 60 points.
