Olympic champion Guerdat claims second FEI World Cup jumping final victory

Olympic champion Steve Guerdat of Switzerland showed nerves of steel when galloping to victory at the Longines International Equestrian Federation (FEI) World Cup jumping final for the second year in a row here on Monday.

The crowd in the Scandinavium Arena went wild after the 33-year-old rider produced two faultless rounds with the 10-year-old Corbinian to claim the 172,500 euros prize winner's purse.

The Netherlands' Harrie Smolders took the runner-up spot and 131,250 euros for the day's two rounds and must now be one of the hot favourites for a place in Rio.

Germany's Daniel Deusser, winner of the Longines FEI World Cup final in 2014, stood on the third step of the podium and was all too happy to join forces with Smolders to hoist Guerdat and the trophy into the air in celebration.

Guerdat was out in front going into the day's final decider, but had to leave all the fences on Santiago Varela Ullastres' brilliant course standing if he was going to do the back-to-back double after his win in Las Vegas. Despite the pressure and with the passionate crowds oohing and aahing over every fence, he held his nerve to finish on a perfect zero for the win.

"It's really special," Guerdat said. "I wasn't really thinking I would stand here in front of you as the final winner today. It's a team victory more than ever I think."

Guerdat's biggest wins have come with three different horses -- Nino des Buissonnets at London 2012, the mare Albufuehrens Paille in Las Vegas last year, and now his latest champion Corbinian. The day's victory was the fourth for Switzerland in the series, with Markus Fuchs taking the cup in 2001, Beat Mandli in 2007 and now two in a row for Guerdat. Endit