AMSTERDAM, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Sweden's Henrik von Eckermann scored a sensational victory at the 12th leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Western European League here on Sunday.
The 37-year-old, riding Toveks Mary Lou and the last to go in an eight-way jump-off, beat Switzerland's Pius Schwizer into runner-up spot by more than half a second, and pushing Germany's Daniel Deusser down to third.
The FEI Jumping World Cup was one of the events celebrating the Diamond (60th) anniversary of Jumping Amsterdam. The Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander was one of the spectators at the RAI arena to witness the thrilling moment.
Belgium's Niels Bruynseels roared into the lead in 35.09 seconds when third to go in the jump-off. Frenchman Kevin Staut out-paced him only to be immediately overtaken by Deusser who clocked 34.67 seconds.
Schwizer, the penultimate competitor and former world number one, galloped through the timers in 33.34 seconds which looked to have surely settled the matter.
But von Eckermann and his 13-year-old mare, who won third place at the last two Longines finals, threw everything they had at it to break the beam in the winning time of 33.01.
"I knew it was all or nothing," he said. "When you're last into the ring you have to believe you can do it - if you have any doubt in your mind then it will never work."
"I could hear the crowd coming down to the last, so I had to tell myself to stay calm. Mary Lou was lacking a bit of power at that stage so I needed to hold her and not go too much, but she is amazing," he said of the horse.
The victory has lifted Von Eckermann to the seventh place from 19th on the Western European League table, which means that he has booked his ticket to the series final to be held in Gothenburg on April 3.
"The way to the final this year has been very stoney, but getting there was my biggest goal for the year. I've had two great Finals with Mary Lou before, and I'm so happy to be coming home to my own country to fight for it once again," he said.
