Benjamin and Dahlgren in Third in Pas De Deux Championship at World Vaulting Championship

August 18, 2012 — The third day of competition at the FEI World Vaulting Championship was a full day of world-class vaulting as all four Championship divisions competed. In the Pas de Deux Championship, Megan Benjamin (Saratoga, Calif.) and Blake Dahlgren (Santa Clarita, Calif.) had a very impressive first round Free Test performance, putting them in Bronze medal position with a score of 8.549. The pair vaulted on Jarl, lunged by Lasse Kristensen.

Megan Benjamin and Blake Dahlgren are currently in third place in the Pas de Deux Championship | www.barny-th.de

Benjamin and Dahlgren agreed, “Our Freestyle with Jarl gets better and better each time we do it. We’re looking forward to our round tomorrow.”

Not far behind in the Pas de Deux Championship were Devon Maitozo (Palmdale, Calif.) and Rosalind Ross (Venice, Calif.). The pair’s solid performance aboard Escetelli 2 lunged by Kurt Isensee earned them a score of 8.421 putting them in sixth place. After another Free Test round tomorrow, the medal winners in the Pas de Deux Championship will be determined. With Benjamin and Dahlgren already in position to receive a medal and Maitozo and Ross not far behind them, the conclusion of the Pas de Deux Championship is sure to be an exciting one.

In the Team Championship, the Woodside Vaulters of Woodside, Calif. performed an impressive Free Test with Stanford, lunged by Julie Divita. The efforts of Tessa Divita (Emerald Hills, Calif.), Kalyn Geisler (Redwood City, Calif.), Kathryn Jaggers (Portola Valley, Calif.), Siddartha Kreaden (Sunnyvale, Calif.), Samantha Matson (Los Gatos, Calif.), and Katherine Salisbury (Atherton, Calif.) were rewarded, earning them a total score of 7.593 and putting them in fifth place.

The Individual Male Championship continued with second round Technical Tests today. Gabe Aniello (Redwood City, Calif.) sits in ninth place after earning 6.828 for his Technical Test with Forrest Cump and lunger Agnes Forst. Also paired with Forrest Cump and lunger Forst, Kristian Roberts (Moss Beach, Calif.) earned a 6.446 putting him in tenth place. Patrick Stevens (Martinez, Calif.) sits in 15th place after scoring a 4.781 while vaulting on Maxwell lunged by Anouk Dory.

Alicen Divita (Redwood City, Calif.) remains the top U.S. vaulter in the Individual Female Championship. In her second round Technical Test, Divita scored a 7.488 with Pino del Rio and lunger Elke Schep-Lansing, putting her in 14th place. Mary McCormick (Woodside, Calif.) sits right behind Divita with a score of 7.254 after vaulting on Anyway 54 lunged by Kristensen.

Competition wraps up Sunday with second round Free Tests for all the World

Championship divisions. The Individual Females start the day off at 10:00am local time followed by the Individual Males at 11:45am. The Pas de Deux pairs begin at 2:15pm and the day finishes with the Teams at 3:45pm. A Prize-giving Ceremony will take place at 6:00pm presenting the new World Champions with their medals.

FEI TV will be providing a live broadcast of the FEI World Vaulting Championship on their website. To see the broadcast schedule and watch, click here: http://www.feitv.org/page/Live

For start lists and results, click here.

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