Dermott Lennon Champion of the World

DERMOTT LENNON is the first Irish rider to become show jumping World Champion.

On September 22, 2002, at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, the 33 year-old Co. Down man, on the Irish-bred mare ‘Liscalgot’, took the title previously held by legendary Brazilian rider Rodrigo Pessoa, and made Irish sporting history.

He will hold the title of World Champion for four years, and is now automatically qualified for the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.

THIRTY-THREE year old Dermott Lennon only had his first international season in 1999, but, like many of the other Irish "young guns", soon showed his mettle by jumping a double clear in Athens in October of that year, thus helping to win Ireland's first Nations Cup in the 99/2000 series.

Dermott was a member of the Irish squad which snatched victory from Britain at the Anglo-Irish Challenge at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May of 2000, winning the Hallowe'en Cup.

A native of Loughbrickland, near Banbridge, County Down, in Northern Ireland, Dermott jumped in the winning Irish Nations Cup Team at Lummen in July of 2000. He was also a member of the team which won Ireland's Sixth Nations Cup victory of 2000 at Hickstead, jumping a double clear in the process.

Selected for the Dublin Kerrygold Horse Show in August, he again was a member of the winning Irish Nations Cup team, and was once more on the team in Rotterdam, where he jumped two spectacular clear rounds - picking up just half a time fault - to help clinch Ireland's ninth Nations Cup victory in the 99/2000 Samsung series.

Dermott followed this at Spruce Meadows, Calgary, in September, when he was a member of the record-breaking Irish team which won an unprecedented Tenth Nations Cup.

Last year, Dermott once again distinguished himself, first when he snatched the prestigious £55,000 Modena Grand Prix and then again at Arnhem in June, where he was a member of the Irish team which won the Senior European Show Jumping Championships, for the first time in the country's history. Dermott was also a member of the victorious Irish Nations Cup team in Lummen in July of 2001.

His horses are Dow Jones Courcel and the Irish Sport Horses Garronturton Lady and Liscalgot, the last two being his main Nations Cup mounts.

Liscalgot, bred by Terence and Mary Harvey, has been kept in Ireland as Dermott’s mount by the three-man syndicate of Northern Ireland businessmen Woods Rosbotham, James Acheson and Sam Thompson.

In September, Dermot joined his European Championship team to take victory in the final Nations Cup outing of the 2000/2001 season at Spruce Meadows, Canada, snatching the prize with his final and copybook clear round. He also won both the Stockholm Grand Prix in December, and the Leading Rider Award
at that show.

In 2002, with Liscalgot, Dermott won two classes at Dortmund in March, one of them a World Cup Qualifier, together with an accumulator on 'Anthem', and a Second in the ‘s- Hertogenbosch Sires of the World with 'Dow Jones Courcel'.

He then went on to win the Grand Prix Qualifier at Eindhoven in May, with 'Liscalgot', taking Fifth in the Grand Prix itself. At Aachen in June he rode 'Anthem' to a First in the Speed Derby, and with 'Liscalgot' won the Norit Prize at Geesteren in the Netherlands in July.

Dermott and 'Liscalgot' jumped a finishing clear round at Hickstead in the British Nations Cup in July to finish equal on faults with Germany, who then took First Place by a tiny margin of 1.24 seconds on time.

Dermott piloted ‘Ginger Watt’ to First place in the Kerrygold Speed Stakes at Dublin CSIO in August, and was a member of the Nations Cup team who took Third in the Aga Khan Trophy.

In September, 2002, three Irish riders - Dermott Lennon, Peter Charles and Kevin Babington - finished in the Top Ten Individual rankings at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain. But Dermott won the Individual Gold Medal.

No other Irish rider has ever become Show Jumping World Champion in the nation’s long and distinguished equestrian history.

Dermott LENNON - on the horses he rode in the World Equestrian Games final: “I found my own horse the easiest to ride and I really liked Eric’s horse (Dollar du Murier HTS de Seine). It seemed to suit the same system of riding as Liscalgot. Peter’s mare (Fein Cera) was just beautiful, a little bit tense when I first got on, but she was lovely to ride in the ring. Helena’s horse (Utfors Mynta) wasn’t difficult she just needed a bit of pace.”

The Record Before Jerez

2002, CSI-W WC-Qual., Dortmund, Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.
2002, CSI-W WC-Prél., Dortmund, Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.
2002, CSI-W - G.P.W - Mixed comp., Dortmund, - , Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.
2002, CSI-W - Accumulator Comp., Dortmund, - ,Anthem, Ind. rank: 1.
2002, CSI-W - Accumulator Comp.,‘S-Hertogenbosch, - ,Anthem, Ind. rank: 1.
2002, CSIO**** NC, Hickstead, Liscalgot,Team rank: 2.
2002, CSIO**** NC, Dublin, Liscalgot,Team rank: 3.
2002, CSI-A - Two Phases, Eindhoven, - , Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.
2002, CHIO Preis der Lindt&Sprüngli,Aachen, Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 2.
2001, CSI-W WC-Qual., Berlin, Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 3.
2001, CSIO**** NC, Modena, Liscalgot ,Team rank: 2.
2001, CSIO**** NC, Hickstead, Liscalgot,Team rank: 1.
2001, CSIO**** GP, Modena, Liscalgot , Ind. rank: 1.
2001, CSIO NC, Spruce Meadows, Liscalgot,Team rank: 1.
2001, CSIO NC, Lummen, Garronturton Lady,Team rank: 1.
2001, CSIO - Speed and Handiness, St. Gallen, - , Garronturton Lady, Ind. rank: 1.
2001, CSIO - Speed and Handiness, Hickstead, - , Garronturton Lady, Ind. rank: 1.
2001, CSIO - Speed and Handiness, Hickstead, - , Garronturton Lady, Ind. rank: 1.
2001, CSIO - Nations Cup, Lummen, - , Garronturton Lady, Ind. rank: 1.
2001, CSIO - Nations Cup, Hickstead, - , Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.
2001, CSIO - Nations Cup, Calgary, - , Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.
2001, CSIO - Mixed Comp, Dublin, - , Garronturton Lady, Ind. rank: 1.
2001, CSIO - Grand Prix - Over Two Rounds, Modena, - , Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.
2001, CSI-B GP, Stockholm, Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.
2001, CSI-B - Grand Prix - Mixed Comp, Stockholm, - , Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.
2001, CSI-B - Against the clock, Stockholm, - , Dow Jones Courcel, Ind. rank: 1.
2001, CSI-A Preis T-System SA, Mesikon, Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 3.
2001, CSI-A Preis August Laube, Mesikon, Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 2.
2001, CSI-A GP, Maubeuge, Liscalogt, Ind. rank: 2.
2001, CSI-A GP, Geesteren, Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 2.
2001, CSI-A GP, Eindhoven, Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 3.
2001, CSI-A - Speed and Handiness,The Hague, - , Garronturton Lady, Ind. rank: 1.
2001, CSI-A - Against the clock, Leeuwaarden, - ,Anthem, Ind. rank: 1.
2000, CSIO - Nations Cup, Rotterdam, - , Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.
2000, CSIO - Nations Cup, Lummen, - , Garronturton Lady, Ind. rank: 1.
2000, CSIO - Nations Cup, Hickstead, - , Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.
2000, CSIO - Nations Cup, Dublin, - , Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.
2000, CSIO - Nations Cup, Calgary, - , Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.
2000, CSI-A - Two Phases, Great Leighs, - , Dow Jones Courcel, Ind. rank: 1.
1999, CSIO - Nations Cup,Athens, - , Liscalgot, Ind. rank: 1.

The Equestrian Federation of Ireland would like to acknowledge the ngoing support of the Irish Sports Council, whose contribution to preparation for both the World Equestrian Games and the Athens Olympics has been invaluable.

The Equestrian Federation of Ireland would also like to thank the following sponsors, who helped make Team Ireland’s visit to Jerez possible.

http://www.horsesport.ie

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