This past Sunday, the inaugural Longines League of Nations™-season concluded with a thrilling final at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona where Germany took home the title, ahead of The Netherlands in second and Sweden in third. With the traditional format of four horse-and-rider combinations and a drop-score in round one, and then just three pairs returning and all scores counting in round two, it was exciting and unpredictable all the way to the end.
Here we look back at some of the action in the final, that saw four horse-and-rider combinations produce double clear rounds over Santiago Varela's challenging track. One of those were the ultra-consistent Maikel van der Vleuten and Beauville Z N.O.P. (pictured above), individual bronze medallists from Paris 2024.
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... so the pressure was on for the last rider out for the Dutch; a clear round from Harrie Smolders and Uricas v/d Kattevennen would results in a jump-off against Germany for the win. But, as a rail dropped for the former world no. one and his stunning stallion, the Dutch team had to settle for the runner-up position.