News

The Nekkerhal erupted on Tuesday afternoon as Gilles Thomas claimed victory in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup, presented by BMW. Belgian supporters created an electric atmosphere, celebrating a home win that came after a jump-off filled with tension, doubt, bold decisions and raw emotion. For Thomas himself, it was a whirlwind of feelings, disappointment after a mistake, followed by the sudden realisation that the win was his.

During the course walk, the track initially looked fairly straightforward, but once the competition got underway, it quickly proved to be far more demanding. Only five riders managed to qualify for the jump-off, and none of them were able to produce a clear round. Despite that, the battle for victory remained wide open until the very last rider.

Course designer Bart Vonck explained his approach. “I was hoping for around eight clear rounds, that was roughly the goal,” he said. “But it’s always a fine balance: not too hard, but definitely not too easy either. Today we mainly saw very small mistakes, which actually shows how high the level was.”

The jump-off delivered excitement, but also frustration. Riding Qalista DN, a nine-year-old BWP mare by Emerald van ’t Ruytershof out of a Landetto dam, Gilles Thomas went all in. He finished with four faults, but posted the fastest time of the jump-off. At that point, confidence was not high.
“Honestly, I was very disappointed at first,” he admitted. “My horse is incredibly fast, and maybe I just took a bit too much risk in the double combination.

” Then came the waiting game, with Daniel Deusser still to come. “I was actually quite scared of Daniel,” Thomas said. “He’s such a winner. Going last, he could simply aim for a clear round. I didn’t really watch the screen in the paddock, because normally he finishes the job.”

When the final result became clear, disappointment instantly turned into disbelief.
“I thought, here we go again, second place, just like last year. And suddenly there were about twenty people around me congratulating me. It was a real mix of emotions.”

The reaction of the crowd made the moment unforgettable.
“The atmosphere all week was incredible,” Thomas continued. “It really feels like the supporters push me to another level. Maybe that’s also why I took that extra risk in the jump-off. With Qalista, I knew I had a real chance. I didn’t come here to finish second. If you can end up fifth anyway, you might as well go all in for the win.”
Second place went to Marcus Westergren with Airco de L’Esprit Z, also finishing the jump-off with four faults. “My plan is always the same: to win if I have the chance,” he smiled. “In the double combination I had to take a little too much out of the stride, which wasn’t ideal. But the atmosphere here was unbelievable. The crowd supported everyone, not just the Belgian riders. That was really special.”
Third place was claimed by Patrick Stühlmeyer with Baloutaire PS, for whom this marked his first five-star World Cup appearance with the horse. “I’m extremely proud,” he said. “It was my first 5* with him. The course was tough but fair. The time allowed was short, but manageable. For me, this was simply a very good day.”
Sport director Peter Bollen also reflected with satisfaction. “I can only say one thing: I’m very happy,” he said. “Almost every evening sold out, and today the crowd was absolutely wild. We expect to break last year’s attendance record by around ten percent. This was a perfect afternoon.”
For Gilles Thomas, the victory marked the crowning moment of an outstanding season. “After everything this season has already brought, it’s amazing to finish it like this,” he concluded. “I once joked that I would stop riding if I ever won the FEI Jumping World Cup in Mechelen, but don’t worry, I’ll keep going. Next year, the World Championships in Aachen are the big goal.”
The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup, presented by BMW, thus became not only a sporting highlight, but also an evening that perfectly captured the essence of Vlaanderens Kerstjumping: top-level sport, emotion, and a crowd that carries its champion to victory.

Second place went to Marcus Westergren with Airco de L’Esprit Z, also finishing the jump-off with four faults. “My plan is always the same: to win if I have the chance,” he smiled. “In the double combination I had to take a little too much out of the stride, which wasn’t ideal. But the atmosphere here was unbelievable. The crowd supported everyone, not just the Belgian riders. That was really special.”
“My plan is always the same: to win if I have the chance,” he smiled. “In the double combination I had to take a little too much out of the stride, which wasn’t ideal. But the atmosphere here was unbelievable. The crowd supported everyone, not just the Belgian riders. That was really special.”

Third place was claimed by Patrick Stühlmeyer with Baloutaire PS, for whom this marked his first five-star World Cup appearance with the horse. “I’m extremely proud,” he said. “It was my first 5* with him. The course was tough but fair. The time allowed was short, but manageable. For me, this was simply a very good day.”

Sport director Peter Bollen also reflected with satisfaction. “I can only say one thing: I’m very happy,” he said. “Almost every evening sold out, and today the crowd was absolutely wild. We expect to break last year’s attendance record by around ten percent. This was a perfect afternoon.”

For Gilles Thomas, the victory marked the crowning moment of an outstanding season.
“After everything this season has already brought, it’s amazing to finish it like this,” he concluded. “I once joked that I would stop riding if I ever won the FEI Jumping World Cup in Mechelen, but don’t worry, I’ll keep going. Next year, the World Championships in Aachen are the big goal.”

The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup, presented by BMW, thus became not only a sporting highlight, but also an evening that perfectly captured the essence of Vlaanderens Kerstjumping: top-level sport, emotion, and a crowd that carries its champion to victory.