First-ever Belgian victory in the Grand Prix of Enschede
BOEKELO – In a nail-biting finale that came down to the very last rider, Belgian eventer Lara de Liedekerke-Meier claimed victory in the 54th edition of Military Boekelo-Enschede. Riding her nine-year-old bay gelding Kiarado d’Arville (by Diarado), she secured the win, while 21-year-old Sterre van Houte captured the Dutch national title with her twelve-year-old bay gelding Crossborder Radar Love (also by Diarado).
In the concluding show jumping phase, De Liedekerke-Meier overtook five competitors who had been ahead of her after the cross-country. Her win made history, it was the first Belgian victory at Boekelo since the event’s inception in 1971. Remarkably, she achieved it in her nineteenth appearance in and around the Teesinkbos.
“I bred Kiarado myself, and he was fantastic today. I had one time fault, but I could afford that. I didn’t expect to win here. I used to ride his dam Nooney Blue, and with her, I competed in Boekelo for the first time in 2009. This is one of my favorite competitions, it’s one of the last of the season. I come here either for experience or to aim for a top result, depending on the horses I bring. I had already won in Poland this year with Kiarado, but that was only against twenty riders. This is a much bigger stage, but I knew I was ready for a strong performance.”
Returning next year
Could she be a contender for the 2026 World Championships? “We’ll see. I have plenty of horses, so we’ll just pick the best one at that time,” she said, adding with a smile: “I’ll definitely be back next year.”
On the final day, fourteen combinations were separated by less than one show jumping fault in the battle for victory. France’s Alexis Goury finished second with Coloree de Poteau Z, and Great Britain’s Izzy Taylor took third with Barrington Alice. European Champion Laura Collett, who had led earlier with Count Onyx, dropped to sixth after the final round.
Debutant crowned Dutch national champion
The 21-year-old Sterre van Houte became national champion with Crossborder Radar Love, succeeding Janneke Boonzaaijer, who had claimed the title for the past three years. “It’s really special to succeed Janneke,” said Van Houte, who has lived in Deurningen (Twente) since last year. “I enjoyed every moment and I’m so happy, it’s unbelievable. I never dreamed of such an ending. I honestly wasn’t thinking about the championship at all. This morning, I just thought, ‘let’s get through the vet check first, then go jump.’ I know I’m not the fastest rider. Standing on the podium is amazing. I don’t feel at the level of the top riders yet, but hopefully I have a few more years to get there.”
Fellow debutant Splinter Bergsma came very close to taking the national title, finishing just 0.3 penalty points behind with his twelve-year-old bay gelding Vigo Key SR Z. At a greater distance, Aliene Ruyter claimed the bronze with her sixteen-year-old grey gelding Veloumani Tess LY. The previous national leader, Tijn de Blaauw, suffered a complete off-day in the show jumping round and lost his medal chances early on. Van Houte commented with sportsmanship: “A pity for Tijn, but he had a fantastic cross-country, and that will always stand.”
In the team competition, Great Britain took victory, ahead of France and Belgium. In the six-leg FEI Nations Cup series, Germany secured the overall win.