USA Zones Capture Jumping Gold
USA ZONE 4 AND USA ZONE 5/7 CAPTURE GOLD IN JUNIOR AND YOUNG RIDER TEAM COMPETITION AT GOTHAM NORTH FEI NORTH AMERICAN YOUTH JUMPING CHAMPIONSHIPS, PRESENTED BY USHJA
Day three of the Gotham North FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships, presented by USHJA, invited Junior and Young Rider teams to take center stage and vie for their podium positions. Over two rounds, teams battled it out for top honors, but it was ultimately Zone 4, with team members Caroline Mawhinney (Wellington, Fla.), Ella Duffy (Alpharetta, Ga.), Hailey Royce (Wellington, Fla.), and Mia Albelo (Miami, Fla.), taking gold in the Junior Team Final.
A combined team of athletes from Zone 5 and Zone 7, with Alexander Alston (Zone 5 – New Albany, Ohio), Alexandra Pielet (Zone 5 – Highland Park, Ill.), Sofia Cady (Zone 7 – Austin, Texas), and Charlise Casas (Zone 5 – Kenworth, Ill.), earned top honors in the Young Rider Team Final.
Zone 5/7 Earn Gold Medal in Young Rider Team Final
The Young Rider Team Final saw a changeup at the top of the order as competition got underway, with another challenging track by Anderson Lima (BRA). Two teams jumped to clear slates in round one: Zone 4 and Zone 5/7, but it was Zone 5/7 that held the lead on just 5.68 penalties coming into the final day of team competition.
As more riders jumped, rails continued to fall, even for top-two placed athletes in the first qualifier, Tanner Korotkin (Zone 4) and Sam Walker (CAN). As Canada 1 came home on 16 faults through both rounds, their team members, Eric Krawitt (Okotoks, AB), Lauren Esdale (Seagrave, ON), Sara Tindale (Campbellville, ON), and Walker (Nobleton, ON), brought home the bronze medal. With a surprising four faults for Korotkin (Wellington, Fla.), Zone 4 ended up with the silver along with teammates Sheer Levitin (Wellington, Fla.), Elli Yeager (Wellington, Fla.), and Zayna Rizvi (Wellington, Fla.).
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