Gold Medals for Tatum and Jewell in NAYC Individual Finals
Pulling off an impressive feat during the three days of competition at the Gotham North FEI North American Youth Championships, presented by USHJA, Georgina Jewell finished her week completely penalty-free, taking the gold medal in the Children’s category aboard Conny 424.
Jewell was Thursday’s Individual Qualifier winner, so she put herself in a promising position early in the week, then continued to jump four more clear rounds aboard her 9-year-old Holsteiner mare.
“It felt really good,” she said about her performance and winning the gold medal. “I was definitely really nervous because I was going into it. [Conny] is really sweet and she’ll always help me out. Going into the last round I was really confident because we were clear in all the others so I knew she’d be good.”
Taking the silver medal, with only 0.55 penalties accrued over the course of five rounds, was Jesus Rigu aboard Indigo, an 8-year-old gelding. This is Rigu’s third appearance at NAYC and he made it count, coming home with a team gold and an individual silver.
“My horse jumped so well every round,” Rigu reflected. “The first day wasn’t my best, I was just really nervous. When I get nervous I do things I don’t normally do, but he jumped so well. He helped when I made mistakes and when I rode well I felt like we were clicking every step.”
Rigu also managed to jump completely clear over the five rounds, meaning he only carried his 0.55 penalties through from day one to secure his position on the podium.
His past performances at NAYC left him wanting more, so Rigu was pleased that he could deliver a performance this strong. “This year I went into the Final relieved that I was able to put in three clear rounds going into it,” he shared. “Knowing I helped the team win felt really good and now I can finally sleep at night.”
Taking the bronze medal was Cisy Zhou aboard Dalido 8, an 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding. With just one rail down and one time fault in the Team Competition, Zhou delivered two faultless rounds in the Individual Final to rise up from seventh place and land on the podium.
“Going into today I knew I was in the middle of the pack, and I wanted to put in two great rounds,” Zhou shared of her mindset. “After the first round I knew he was jumping great and was clearing everything. My trainers were scared I was going to have a time fault but I knew I had it because I trust my horse a lot. He’s really brave so I was really grateful to have him as my partner.”
Read more:
Gold Medals for Tatum and Jewell in NAYC Individual Finals – Traverse City Horse Shows
