Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs won the opening competition at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2022 in Leipzig, Germany today with a superb speed round partnering Chaplin.

Second-last to go in the field of 35 chasing down the prestigious title they all want to win, the 29-year-old rider who was individual European champion in 2019, second at the last Longines Final in Gothenburg that same year and who claimed team gold and individual silver at the FEI Jumping European Championships in 2021 simply scorched home to pin Austria’s Max Kuhner and Elektric Blue P into second.

Kuhner took the lead when 24th to go, stopping the clock on 66.19 seconds, and Ireland’s Conor Swail produced a great round with the aptly-named Count Me In to slot in behind him when breaking the beam in 67.06 seconds.

But Fuchs pushed them both down the line with a daring ride that saw him home in 65.11 seconds and to give him the advantage going into tomorrow’s second Final competition.

Result here

Overall Ranking after Competition 1 Here