2000 Dutch Dressage Championships

Gonnelien Rothenberger Feels the Injustice

One person who is not at all pleased with the overall standing at the Dutch Dressage Championships is Gonnelien Rothenberger-Gordijn. With scores of 69,76%, 69,81% and 76,39% produced by riding the Hanoverian approved stallion Jonggor's Weyden (by Western Star x Grande) Gonnelien ranked fifth overall. However, she feels that injustice is attached to the official Dutch Olympic Team selection by chef d'equipe Jurgen Koschel. According to Gordijn, the team has already been selected no matter what the scores are.

Rothenberger, who has been scoring in the low 70s at several spring shows, has definitely been scoring higher than Bontje at the beginning of the year. The relation between Rothenberger and Koschel is not so good and fine. "We are no longer talking," Sven said. Sven Rothenberger, who won bronze on Weyden at the 1996 Olympics, is still upset that Koschel didn't pick him for the Dutch team for the 1999 European Championships. 

Koschel claims that the final decision for the Olympic team will be made after the final selection trial in Kootwijk, The Netherlands. Gonnelien Rothenberger will enter the competition, but she sees no use for her to be there. "Ow, I think his decision is already made, but I'll go to Kootwijk. In two weeks I leave for the CHIO Aachen, where O-judges will be judging. I want to know how they value me. I can't enforce an Olympic qualification over there as Bontje won't be riding at the CHIO, but I'm doing this for myself. I want to show them what I can do. For the rest, they have to figure it out themselves," Gonnelien said.

Image copyrighted Arnd Bronkhorst
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