Britain’s Yasmin Ingham was crowned individual champion on the final day of the FEI Eventing World Championship 2022 at Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy today (18 September).
Germany’s Julia Krajewski, Michael Jung, Christoph Wahler and Sandra Auffarth claimed team gold, with Team USA in silver and New Zealand in bronze. Team GB, comprising of Yasmin, Ros Canter, Tom McEwen, Oliver Townend and Laura Collett, were fourth.
Lying individually second going into the final phase, Yasmin produced a spectacular clear with 11-year-old gelding Banzai du Loir, piling the pressure on the leader after cross-country, Germany’s Michael Jung.
But two fences down with fischerChipmunk FRH saw Michael’s second individual world title slip from his grasp and silver went to his team-mate Julia Krajewski and Amande de B’Neville. New Zealand’s Tim Price and Falco claimed bronze.
It was 25-year-old Yasmin’s first senior championships and she is the first rider to win an individual title on her championship debut since Zara Tindall took the European Championship on Toytown in 2005.
Yasmin never dropped below third place from day one and picked up only 1.2 points on the cross-country to finish on 23.2 points.
“Honestly, I’m still not believing it at this moment,” she said before the awards ceremony. “Banzai was impeccable, just perfect.”
Speaking of Banzai after the cross-country, Yasmin said she was “just delighted” with him.
“It was such hard work, but I said from the beginning that I didn’t want to be sat on any other horse, and he just made it feel amazing,” she said.
“He was incredible the whole way, grew in confidence the whole way and was just looking for the flags.”
Her victory comes nine years after she won double gold for Britain at the Pony European Championships, also in Italy.
Ros finished fourth on Michele Saul’s 10-year-old Lordships Graffalo, completing on her dressage score. Tom and Toledo De Kerser finished 12th, while Oliver and Ballagmor Class were 16th, and Laura and London 52 40th.
Lead image by FEI/Richard Juilliart