They had to finish in the top six. Belgium finished fourth. No world medal in Aachen, then, but something that carried far more value on Wednesday evening: a ticket to the Los Angeles Olympic Games. After the regrets of the previous day, Larissa Pauluis had put the team back on track with Flambeau and her 72.469%. Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus then pulled out the big performance: 80.885%, second place individually in the Grand Prix and Olympic qualification in the bag. Germany are world champions, but on the Belgian side, nobody will be asking for a replay. Destination L.A.

« L.A. »

He is asked for the first word that comes to mind.

Justin Verboomen thinks for a few seconds.

« L.A. »

Then he laughs.

You could stop there.

Because everything Belgium had come looking for in Aachen ultimately fits into those two letters.

L.A.

Los Angeles.

The 2028 Olympic Games.

Belgium finished fourth in the World Team Championship and with it secured its Olympic qualification. No medal, but a ticket. And in the Belgian camp, after two days of doing the maths, watching the others, losing a few points and then clawing some back, nobody seemed too bothered by the lack of metal.

« “That was clearly the main objective in coming here to the World Championships, for the federation, the team and everything around it. And we did it, so objective achieved. The rest is only bonus and we will try to enjoy ourselves as much as possible.” »

Justin Verboomen smiled.

This time, it was done. The stress could drop. The rider of Zonik Plus could now have some fun.

Larissa had switched the lights back on

A few hours earlier, Larissa Pauluis had already started putting the Belgian house back in order.

After a first day that had not been without merit, but had been complicated for Wim Verwimp and Jeroen Devroe, the Brabant rider knew she had very little margin left.

With Flambeau, she scored 72.469% and eventually finished 15th in the Grand Prix.

Not the score that makes Aachen tremble.

The one Belgium needed.

“The score matters. We had to hit the points, we could not afford to do less. We had to aim for 72 in any case, to climb back up in the scores and put the country a little further forward for selection for the Los Angeles Games.”

She had aimed for 72. She got 72.469.

So much for suspense.

And above all, she had passed the baton to the final Belgian with barely disguised confidence.

“Now Justin is coming into the game. Obviously, we are putting everything on him too, and he will do it like a boss, I’m sure.”

Good call.

80.885%. Thank you, goodbye.

Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus therefore entered the immense Aachen arena with a responsibility that went far beyond their individual ranking.

The tension was palpable. The pair answered with 80.885%.

Over 80 in a World Championship Grand Prix. Second place in the class.

Above all, Belgium had its result.

And yet, not everything was quite as simple as the score might suggest.

In the warm-up, Verboomen found the Zonik Plus he loves: available, light, connected like never before.

Then he entered the stadium. And the volume went up a notch.

« The horse gave me a really exceptional warm-up. I had a special connection with him, really discreet, really fine. He was a little impressed when he came into the arena, so he froze a little, he tensed up a little. »

So the rider negotiated.

« “I had to tell him: ‘Come on, let’s make a little effort for everyone, for the team.’”” »

A little effort. 80.885%.

We know a few Chefs d’Equipe who would happily sign for that kind of sacrifice.

To prepare for Aachen, bring 45,000 Friends

It must be said that the Aachen arena is not exactly the Tuesday morning indoor school.

Larissa Pauluis had said it a few hours earlier: “ This really is the Mecca of equestrian sport.” Coming from a rider with two Olympic appearances behind her, that means something.

Zonik Plus had clearly noticed it too.

So how do you prepare a horse for an atmosphere like that?

Verboomen’s answer:

« You cannot really, I think. To train for it, you would need to bring in 45,000 people. For a small training session, that is not going to work. As well as being good, he has a fine sense of humour.

So that is the problem with Aachen.

The stadium does not fit in the truck.

Verboomen nevertheless expects to see his horse gradually find his bearings: “ I think he will relax more and more as the days go on, as he normally does at every show. »

A piece of information that might slightly interest the opposition.

Because a Zonik Plus still impressed by the setting has just scored 80.885%.

And meanwhile, the others were making mistakes too

Because that may be the other lesson from this Grand Prix: nobody is safe in Aachen..

Belgium left points behind over these two days.

But it was not alone.

Patrik Kittel finished on 72.096%. Isabell Werth, a pillar of the German armada, had to settle for 79.876%. Mistakes, sometimes costly ones, reminded everyone of a truth major championships like to bring out just when people forget it: horses do not read predictions or prize lists.

Even the favourites have to finish the test.

And in that game, Germany was collectively the strongest.

Favourite at home, with all the pressure that entails, it claimed the world team title, ahead of Great Britain and Denmark.

A thirteenth world title for German dressage.

In Aachen.

In front of its own crowd.

Hard to make it much more German than that.

Cathrine ahead of Justin

Individually, however, the best score of the Grand Prix came from Denmark.

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle took the lead, ahead of Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus.

The Belgian therefore finished second, while Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale also reminded everyone that they will have to be taken very seriously when the battle for the individual medals begins.

The team championship is over.

Another one is already beginning.

And for Verboomen, the situation has above all changed psychologically.

The collective weight has gone.

« Relief, that is clear. You are never safe from an underperformance. These are living animals, very sensitive ones. Anything can happen. »

From now on, he can look at what comes next differently.

The ticket to Los Angeles no longer depends on the next piaffe.

Van Lent: “It’s Done”

For Jeroen Van Lent, the relief was even more palpable.

When he started to answer, the Belgian Chef d’Equipe’s throat tightened.

“It’s done. First time in the history of dressage. Super, super happy.”

Then the names started to come. Justin, of course.

But also everything around him.

« “Thanks first of all to Justin and to all the work of the crew, all the sponsors, all the leagues. It’s magnificent.” »

Van Lent did not erase the first day, however.

He put it back into place.

« “Yesterday, perhaps, in quotation marks, we started badly. But we saw that there were qualities. The quality we have now is for the future.”. »

And that may be where this fourth place becomes more interesting than a simple ranking.

Belgium did not produce a perfect championship. Far from it.

There were mistakes, horses impressed by the atmosphere, pressure and a few moments when Los Angeles seemed considerably further away than California already is geographically.

But Belgium held on. And it laid the first brick of a project they will build over the next two years. Without pressure now.

Van Lent particularly insisted on “ the maturity Larissa showed today under pressure, and Justin afterwards too, under pressure. ».

Before concluding, still visibly moved: “ I am super happy today. Everyone is happy, and there are a lot of us. It is magnificent. »

Now comes the individual competition. The Grand Prix Special on Friday and the Freestyle on Saturday. There, medals can come back into the conversation.