European Championships in Milan: interview with Jos Lansink
As the European Championships unfold in Milano, San Siro, we met with Jos Lansink, Chef D’Equipe of the Dutch team, that amongst the 15 teams competing remains undeniably one of the favorites poised to secure a coveted podium finish.
Lansink shares his insights into the event and his team goals. With the qualification for the Paris Olympics already secured, Lansink decided to test two riders with their second horses, in light of next year’s Olympic Games.
This decision does not change the Dutch team’s goal; A podium finish at the European Championships 2023.
Hello Jos, we are here at the European Championships in Milan, and you’re the team manager of the Netherlands. What have been your impressions of the event?
Everything seems well-organized, and fortunately, there has been some rain in the last few days, which has improved the ground conditions, since it is a new footing it was a little bit hard so the rain from the past days has helped these circumstances. The venue is truly incredible, the stables are very nice and well organized and the riders are very satisfied with how the horses jumped in today’s warm-up.
Tell us about the team you’ve brought to these Championships.
The team is led by Jur Vrieling, the second is Maikel van der Vleuten, the third is Willem Greve, the fourth is Harry Smolders, and the fifth is Kim Emmen, who is participating individually.
You have a really strong team.
Yes, the team is indeed strong, but not the strongest we could have. Harry Smolders and Maikel van der Vleuten didn’t bring their top horses, which are Monaco N.o.p. and Beauville Z N.o.p. Here, they have their second horses: Uricas for Harry and O’Bailey for Maikel. With an eye on next year’s Paris Olympics, we’ll see how they react after these Championship days. , they have brought their other horses, Uricas for Harry and O’Bailey for Maikel. This decision is part of our preparations for the Paris Olympics next year. We’ll be observing their performance during these Championship days to assess their readiness for the upcoming Olympics.
What are your goals for these European Championships?
Well, like everyone, we hope to make it to the podium, but there are truly many strong teams this year. We’ve already qualified for the Olympics, but nonetheless, we still want to finish in the top three. We feel strong and ready to tackle this event. We like to stay on the podium for sure, we go for that.
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