Well the new Rolex World Rankings have just come out today and there are some big movers and shakers amongst the top 100. Olympic gold medalist Jeroen Dubbeldam moved 19 spots to number 44 in the world. Jeroen has just lost his lead in the World Cup standings after his absence was felt in Lyon this past weekend but alas you can be assured the Dutchman won’t be too worried, there is still Verona, Italy this week, Stuttgart in Germany the following week along with Geneva, Switzerland, London Olympia, Mechelen in Belgium just after Christmas, Leipzig in Germany, Zurich, Bordeaux in France and ‘s-Hertogenbosch in Holland before the Finals in Gothenburg, Sweden.
History-maker Reed Kessler broke the top 50 this month, moving 7 places into 49th place in the world. At 19 years of age, Reed stands as the youngest rider in the top 50. Next to her in age is number 42 in the World, Dutch Olympic silver medalist Maikel van der Vlueten, who at 24 years old was the youngest rider to stand on the Olympic podium this summer. When you talk with Maikel you would never guess that he hasn’t even reached his 25th birthday and yet he has already accomplished so much. Quite a cool guy!!
Nicola Philippaerts, son of Belgian Olympian Ludo Philippaerts, jumped up 19 spots also to make it to number 63 in the World. The 19 year old star is currently in Toronto, Canada with his twin brother, Olivier Philippaerts for the Royal Winter Fair. The twin brothers have been enjoying their North American tour which included Harrisburg, Washington, Kentucky and Toronto.
The most impressive move within the top one-hundred in the world was American Christine McCrea who moved from 110th place to 82nd. Christine was a big feature at the Pan American Games last year in Mexico and no doubt you will remember that she took both Team and the Individual gold medal home to East Windsor, CT.
So what do we know about Christine? Well, Christine McCrea first made her presence known on the international scene when she joined the United States Equestrian Team Developing Rider Tour in 1999, she finished second in the Nations Cup competition at CSIO Lummen, Belgium, riding Caraibe du Moulin. Last year was a successful year for the Connecticut native, Over the summer, McCrea travelled to Europe to take part in the FEI Nations Cup Series.
With Romantovich Take One, she produced a double clear effort over a tough track in St. Gallen in the Nations Cup and two days later jumped to a strong third place finish in the Longines Grand Prix of Switzerland. McCrea and Romantovich Take One dominated the 2011 Pan American Games Guadalajara, Mexico taking both Team and Individual Gold Medals. The pair finished with only 0.88 penalties. McCrea continued her success this year by finishing ninth with Romantovich Take One in the USEF Selection Last week in Lexington, Christine finished 2nd in the World Cup with her Dutch Gelding Romantovich Take One.
Nicely done guys!!!
In the top 200…
- Clarissa Crotta (SUI) moved 40 spots to 109th in the world
- Eiken Sato (JAP) moved up 55 spots to 165th in the world
- Tim Gredley (GBR) did the same and jumped into the top 200 landing in 188th place
Noelle Floyd.com 