Petronella Andersson & Olympke van’T Merelsnest Claim the Gold Medal in the €60,000 Mips Prize CSI 5*-W

By Jumper News on 2025-02-23

Gothenburg, Sweden – February 21, 2025 – Last to go – first on the podium seems to be the theme of the year in Gothenburg. In the third international class of the weekend, it was once again the final rider in the lineup who claimed victory. Petronella Andersson (SWE), born in the Swedish town Höllviken, repeated her victory from last year and secured the win in Friday’s highest class, the €60,000 Mips Prize CSI 5*-W.

This year, she rode the eleven-year-old Olympke van ‘t Merelsnest. The win with this mare came truly unexpected as she hadn’t even planned to come due to an injury of her best horse. But Olympke needed experience, so Petronella made the long journey from Belgium to Sweden.

“My plan was not to hold back, and I had watched the riders before me, so I knew what was needed. I gave everything I had,” Petronella said.She describes Olympke as a special horse that used to be quite “hot” but is more and more settling into show life and is getting calmer by the day.

“We have competed in lower classes to make things easier for her. When horses find things easy, they gain confidence, and that’s when you can move up in classes,” Petronella explained.Tomorrow, Saturday, Petronella will compete in the Gothenburg Trophy, but she is skipping the World Cup.“I don’t want to try everything at once and push too hard.”

For a long time, it looked like the experienced Austrian Max Kühner (AUT) would take the win. But the win was taken from him at the very last moment.

“I had a really good feeling, a good flow, and I have a fast horse. I feel confident ahead of the World Cup class on Sunday,” said Max Kühner, who still seemed pleased with his performance.

In third place was another Swede – Linda Heed (SWE), riding Skylander VS.

“It’s just magical, I have no words for this,” said Linda Heed after her round.Skylander, an eleven-year-old stallion, is not the easiest horse, and Linda has had to work hard to gain his trust.

“He is an incredibly special individual, and I love him with all my heart. He is extremely complicated, and that makes it even more rewarding when we connect,” Linda said after her ride.