Riders

Through regional qualifications and semi-finals, the right to compete in Poland, in the 2024 edition, was gained by the national teams of: Spain, Great Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy and Slovakia. Polish riders ended their journey at the semi-final stage, but as the hosts of the competition, they have the habitual right to compete. 

ITALY

After a one-year break, the team from Italy will come to Warsaw again. The winners of the 2021 and 2022 Nations Cup last year failed to make the final, so now their determination to claim a third victory in the series is even greater. At the moment, the Italians’ chances of success seem quite good. The team led by Marco Porro was the best in the region in both Gorla Minore and Athens, and although they finished ‘only’ fifth in the semi-finals, they can be placed among the favourites to claim victory in the Longines EEF Series.

THE NETHERLANDS

Last year’s seventh place for the Dutch in the final seems to be the minimum plan this season. The team led by Vincent Voorn has shown that by betting on a combination of youth and experience, they can fight for top places. Starting with a comeback victory in, lucky for the Dutch, Mannheim, followed by a less successful competition in Bratislava (6th place) and an excellent performance in the semi-finals, the Dutch showed that they deserve their ticket to Warsaw. This was especially proved in the decisive competition in Budapest, where they took the victory in outstanding style, scoring eight faultless rounds, which is rare in this sport. 

AUSTRIA

The Austrians are going to Warsaw with a clear goal – to defend their title as last year’s winners. And, as the qualification and semi-final in Budapest showed, they have a great chance to do so. Austria has selected its strongest line-up for Warsaw Jumping 2023. Angelika May called up, among others, the third-best jumper in the world, Max Kühner, as well as world-class Gerfried Puck and Katharina Rhomberg to represent their country at the Nations Cup. Now the three, who also competed in the semi-finals of the EEF Series in Budapest, finishing fourth there, will represent their country at the Olympic Games in Paris. 

SPAIN

The Spanish riders will arrive in Warsaw as winners of the semi-final in Deauville, although their regional starts did not indicate such good form. Carolo Lopèz-Quesada’s charges started this year’s EEF Series with a fourth-place finish in Peelbergen, but a later eleventh place in Luxembourg somewhat weakened their credentials as a contender for victory in September’s final. A team change ahead of the decisive stage in France, including the appointment of Mariano Martinez Bastida (69th in the world ranking), has boosted Spain’s hopes of final success. Much will depend on which riders are selected by the experienced coach. 

SLOVAKIA

Our southern neighbours failed to finish last year’s Longines EEF Series final, but this year such an outcome seems unlikely. The Slovakians finished in the top five at the regional competition in Mannheim and finished second in their home town of Bratislava, losing to the Mexicans by only fractions of a second. In the semi-final in Budapest, they also showed a good performance, finishing sixth mainly due to a problematic time standard. 

IRELAND

Ireland’s road to the Warsaw final has been excellent and, if they can keep up their good run, they have a chance to be at the top of the Longines EEF Series classification. The team coached by Michael Blake has not once fallen off the European Nations Cup podium. Ireland started their journey with a third-place finish in Peelbergen, then finished second in Luxembourg before advancing to the final thanks to a third-place finish in Deauville.

GREAT BRITAIN

If it wasn’t for one setback in the regional qualification in Peelbergen, it would have been fair to say that the Brits displayed excellent jumps throughout the series. Their road through the EEF Series started with an eighth place in Peelbergen, but they quickly improved their position with a third place in Luxembourg. They earned their ticket to Warsaw after finishing second in Deauville and, if coach Di Lampard decides to bet on experienced riders, the Brits will be a dangerous rival to the rest of the nations. 

SWEDEN

Sweden’s performance in last year’s European Nations Cup final was not particularly successful. A team of four women athletes, the only all-female team in the final, finished sixth. This year, the Scandinavian team started their competition with a third place in Drammen and finished the second qualification in Stutteri Ask just behind the winning team, in second place. At the semi-final in Deauville, Ann-Catrin Carlsson’s team finished fourth and will certainly be fighting for high places in the final.

DENMARK

It is difficult to name Denmark as one of the runners-up, although their national team showed during the series that they deserve to compete in the European Nations Cup final. The Danes started the series with an eighth-place finish in Drammen, and in their second regional start, in their home town of Stutteri Ask, they claimed the lowest step of the podium. They advanced to the final from fifth place, gained in Deauville. 

GERMANY

Speaking of candidates for a place on the podium, it is also appropriate to mention the Germans. In a country with a highly developed show jumping culture, there is no shortage of good riders, so coach Marcus Döring was able to change the composition of the team at every phase. The Germans started their competition with a second place in Mannheim, where two excellent riders, Christian Kukuk and Richard Vogel, were the strength of the team. In the second regional qualification in Bratislava, they finished fourth, and in the semi-final in Budapest they won second place. 

POLAND

The Polish riders won the Longines EEF Series regional qualification in Drammen, showing that they count in the European stakes. This success was led by a team made up of Mściwoj Kiecoń, Michał Tyszko and two Polish champions, Przemysław Konopacki and Marek Wacławik, but Polish equestrianism can still pride itself on many outstanding riders. This allowed coach Jan Vinckier to modify the line-up at each stage and give many riders a chance. During the semi-final in Deauville, the Polish Eagles fought bravely to qualify, but ultimately finished outside the advancing top five. In Sunday’s Longines EEF Series final, they will appear as hosts and will certainly show their best to their home crowd, proudly competing with the eagle on their chest. The athletes who excelled at Warsaw Jumping last year – Adam Grzegorzewski, Michał Tyszko, Maksymilian Wechta and Dawid Kubiak – will represent Poland at the Games in Paris. We are sure that inspired by the atmosphere of the most important sporting event of the year, they will jump just as well or even better at the Warsaw arena.