Jet-set life for Luxembourg’s number 1 in show jumping
Having recently won the team competition in Miami Beach, USA, Victor Bettendorf was already back in Europe at the end of last week and over the weekend, more precisely in Gassin near Saint Tropez on the French Riviera.
At a smaller level than the Global Champions Tour – the highest jump the Luxembourger completed was 1.50 meters – he also racked up several victories in southern France. After a 6th place finish on Qwando van de Rispen in the 1.45-meter Grand Prix qualifier, he won a 1.40-meter two-phase jumping competition in the small tour on Horacio du Gue in a time of 37.06 seconds, ahead of Laura Renwick (UK) with Top Gun (37.48) and Katja Haep of Belgium (38.81).
This wouldn’t be Bettendorf’s only top finish: on the same day, he also won a 1.45-meter jumping competition at Doha de Riverland. The pair clocked a time of 62.47 seconds, ahead of Marion Trosset (F, 64.93), Oilily van’t Holeinde, and Laura Renwick (Billy Barlow, 65.37). And that wasn’t all: Bettendorf followed up with two third-place finishes. He took third place in a two-phase Grand Prix jumping competition over 1.45 meters in 26.29 seconds, as well as in the CSI 2* Grand Prix over the same height, which he completed in a jump-off in 37.19 seconds.
On the final day of the tournament, the 36-year-old had another victory to celebrate: he won another two-phase jumping competition in 43.73 seconds on Horacio du Gue, relegating Kim Emmen from the Netherlands with Keavanta-c (44.10) and Petronella Andersson from Sweden on All Minka van het Gerendal (45.26) to second and third place, respectively. He then secured a second-place finish in the 1.50-meter Grand Prix on Qwando van de Rispen. With a time of 37.55 seconds, the pair only had to concede victory to Peder Fredricson from Sweden, who won in 37.33 seconds on Vroom de la Pomme. Third place went to Robin Muhr from Israel with Galaxy (38.75).
And so the world number 55 is off again across the pond, where he will be competing in Mexico City as part of the Global Champions Tour.
Translated from German by AI and adjusted by Paul Krier. Original article also to be published in the “Lëtzebuerger Bauer” weekly newspaper.