LONDON, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Germany's Christian Ahlmann won the 10th leg of the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Western European League qualifier in Leipzig on Sunday.
The 18-year-old super-stallion Taloubet Z carried Ahlmann to victory in a fairytale finish to his fabulous career in front of their home crowd.
Going last in an edge-of-the-seat 15-horse jump-off, Ahlmann and Taloubet put up a perfect performance, winning the title with a time of 43.19 seconds. Carlos Lopez and Admara from Colombia were second with a time of 43.49 seconds and Dutchman Harrie Smolders and Zinius finished third with a time of 44.28.
The 43-year-old Ahlmann, who won four World Cup Finals and the team bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with Taloubet Z, admitted that he really felt the pressure.
"I really didn't want to mess it up for him," he said. "This was just a normal World Cup, like we have every week. But it was very special because it was the last class for Taloubet, and we took the risk to jump him so he could say goodbye, here where everyone knows him, and leave the sport in great shape.
"So to have a good result and to finish with a proper round like that under pressure, it makes me so happy.
"It's the greatest day of my life for sure, not for the points or for the money; it's much more than that. It's because this great horse that still has all this power even at this age is ending his career in a great way, with a great win."
Even the Colombian runner-up wasn't disappointed.
"Today is all about Taloubet anyway," Lopez said.
With just three qualifiers still left to go, Ahlmann has now qualified for the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping 2018 Final in Paris in April.
