Scandinavian Vikings Storm Vienna for Spectacular GCL Victory at Schönbrunn Palace
- Imperial backdrop. Maximum pressure. A championship fight turned up another gear.
Mdmar – Vienna
There are show jumping arenas – and then there is Schönbrunn Palace. Against one of the most extraordinary backdrops in world sport, the GCL of Vienna delivered a night of high-speed, high-pressure team drama as the 2026 Championship entered its decisive final stretch. Riders and horses made their way through the inside of the historic Schönbrunn Palace before emerging into the arena, where centuries of imperial history collided with the unmistakably modern intensity of GCL.
And when the pressure reached its peak, Scandinavian Vikings found another gear. Starting Round 2 carrying just 3 penalties, Scandinavian Vikings produced the comeback that mattered most. Jur Vrieling opened their second-round charge aboard Glyn Slam VDL, delivering the clear in 76.92 seconds. Then it came down to Lara Tryba and Shot Gun. With the victory within reach, Tryba held her nerve and delivered another faultless performance in 77.94 seconds.
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It was a major result for a team that arrived in Austria sitting towards the bottom of the Championship standings – and they left Schönbrunn with a maximum 30 Championship points from the stage.
Riesenbeck International powered by Horse Gym took second place after another characteristically competitive performance. Maximilian Weishaupt and Zuccero HV kept a clean sheet in Round 2, while Philipp Weishaupt and Klimister added four faults, leaving the Championship leaders on 4 penalties overall.
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Completing the podium were Istanbul Warriors powered by Carpe Diem Equestrian Team. Abdel Saïd and Wathnan Calvaro and Henrik von Eckermann with Hylanderhof’s Saruschrka both jumped clear in Round 2, adding nothing to the team’s eight-fault Round 1 score and securing third place.
For Scandinavian Vikings, Lara Tryba said: “I’ve said it before, this is my favourite LGCT of the whole year. Just riding into the palace feels like a dream. This venue, the audience, the atmosphere – everything is so beautiful. To come here and be the winners is truly the cherry on the cake.”
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Her teammate Jur Vrieling added: “I’m really proud of both my stallions today, and to come back here in Austria and perform well is very special. But I think the most special thing today was Lara’s performance. There was so much pressure on her going into that final round and she did an incredible job performing here.”
Smiling Maximilian Weishaupt said: “We are so pleased to keep first place overall. The Championship is a huge focus for us, so to finish second here today and take another strong haul of points means a lot.”
Hi brother Philipp Weishaupt added: “I wasn’t happy with my second round, but as a team we were fully focused this evening on getting as many Championship points as possible.”
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Team owner and rider Efe Siyahi who won the 5* 1.60m individual class earlier in the day said: “From tenth to the podium, we are so happy! We almost didn’t qualify for Round 2, but we couldn’t be happier with the result and to now move into second place in the Championship. It means a lot.”
Abdel Saïd smiled: “We have a great team, with Efe and Tolga behind us, and having such a strong team alongside me is such a pleasure.”
Following on Henrik von Eckermann added: “We walked the course and knew it was tricky enough, so we expected there would be faults. We knew that if we could deliver clear rounds, we would keep the team in a strong position.”
Championship Standings: Riesenbeck Keep Control, But the Chase Is On
Vienna may have belonged to the Scandinavian Vikings, but the bigger Championship battle continues to tighten.
GCL Championship standings after Vienna:
Riesenbeck International powered by Horse Gym – 242 points
Istanbul Warriors powered by Carpe Diem Equestrian Team – 201 points
New York Empire powered by Lugano – 185 points
Basel Cosmopolitans powered by Les Trois Rois – 184 points
Prague Lions powered by Czech Equestrian Team – 181 points
With Rome, Cairo and Rabat still to come, the mathematics are getting tighter and the margins increasingly unforgiving.
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Round 1 was less about cruising into contention and more about surviving the cut. Seventeen teams entered the 1.60m first round knowing only ten would earn the right to return later that evening. Under the lights at Schönbrunn, the Championship contenders immediately found themselves walking a tightrope.
Riesenbeck International powered by Horse Gym once again looked completely at home under pressure. Maximilian Weishaupt and Zuccero HV produced a clear in 76.39 seconds before Philipp Weishaupt and Oreo D.R. followed with another clear in 73.97 seconds. Double clear. 0 penalties in 150.36 seconds.
But they weren’t alone. New York Empire powered by Lugano also escaped Round 1 on zero, courtesy of Michael Pender and Madgeslane Louis and Denis Lynch with Cordial, stopping the clock on a combined 156.24 seconds.
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Then came one of the stories of the night. Scandinavian Vikings refused to let perfection become the enemy of progress. Lara Tryba and Shot Gun picked up just one time penalty, while Jur Vrieling and VDL Mattias collected two. No fences down and only 3 penalties on the board kept them firmly in striking distance.
Behind them, the four-fault teams stacked up. Cannes Stars powered by Iron Dames, St Tropez Pirates and Riyadh Knights all carried four penalties into Round 2, keeping themselves right in the hunt. Then came the eight-fault danger zone.
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Monaco Aces, Valkenswaard United, Istanbul Warriors and Basel Cosmopolitans powered by Les Trois Rois all survived to fight again – but there was heartbreak further down the order. Championship contenders Prague Lions powered by Czech Equestrian Team finished on eight faults but missed the cut, as did Madrid in Motion. Doha Falcons ended on nine, Cairo Pharaohs on 12, Rome Gladiators on 20 and Mexico Amigos on 26.
For Prague in particular, it was a costly night. Sitting firmly inside the Championship top five, their Vienna challenge was over before Round 2 had even begun.
ROUND 2: Two Clears, One Huge Scandinavian Victory
Ten teams returned. The lights were brighter, the pressure higher and suddenly every pole sounded louder. Championship leaders Riesenbeck International had control after Round 1, and Max Weishaupt immediately reinforced it. He and Zuccero HV delivered another zero – their second clear of the night.
But the door cracked open when Philipp Weishaupt and Klimister finished on four faults. Four penalties overall. And Scandinavian Vikings were ready.
Jur Vrieling and Grand Slam VDL attacked first. Clear. 76.92 seconds. Now Lara Tryba knew exactly what she had to do. With Schönbrunn watching and the victory sitting on the other side of the finish line, Tryba and Shot Gun produced the round that sealed it: clear in 77.94 seconds. No added faults. Scandinavian Vikings: 3. Riesenbeck International: 4. Game over.
Behind them, Istanbul Warriors mounted a serious charge of their own. Abdel Saïd and Wathnan Calvaro went clear in 73.80 seconds before Henrik von Eckermann and Hylanderhof’s Saruschrka followed with another zero in a rapid 73.30. They couldn’t erase their eight penalties from Round 1, but the double clear launched them onto the podium in third.
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Cannes Stars powered by Iron Dames added eight faults to finish fourth on 12, with Sophie Hinners and Iron Dames Kaleni Jo and Jörne Sprehe with Hickstead White each recording four.
St Tropez Pirates matched that 12-fault total, with Nadja Peter Steiner and Clearround IL Mondo and Antoine Ermann aboard Jiamo VDS each adding four.
Riyadh Knights also finished on 12 after Cian O’Connor and Chatolinue PS and Gudrun Patteet with Sea Coast Qarvaljo d’Or each returned four-fault rounds. New York Empire’s zero-fault opening score disappeared quickly. Denis Lynch and Ping Pong van de Lentamel picked up a single time penalty before Michael Pender and Madgeslane Louis added 12, dropping the team to seventh on 13 penalties.
For Valkenswaard United, Round 2 brought eight faults apiece for Edwina Tops-Alexander and Cydello and Thibault Philippaerts with Lyandro MDB, taking their total to 24. Monaco Aces suffered a similar fate. Yuri Mansur and Vitiki added 12 while Duarte Seabra and Dourados 2 collected four, also leaving them on 24 overall.
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And there was late heartbreak for Basel Cosmopolitans powered by Les Trois Rois. After qualifying comfortably for Round 2 on eight faults, elimination for Zascha Nygaard and Charino PS ended their challenge. One by one, the contenders had fallen away. Scandinavian Vikings hadn’t.
From 16th in the Championship coming into Vienna, they produced the result of their season when it mattered – taking all 30 points beneath the lights of Schönbrunn Palace. Now there are just three regular-season stages remaining.
Next stop: Rome, 9–11 October, where the GCL Championship fight heads to the new Tor Di Quinto – Ippodromo Militare “Gen. C.A. Pietro Giannattasio”. Vienna proved one thing very clearly: at this stage of the season, one round can change everything. The Championship is entering its final laps.
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The “Mdmar” website which was Founded by Khaled Makhlouf in 2007 for horse and equestrian races is keen to cover and follow all competitions related to horses, from show jumping, Horseracing, speed and endurance races, and purebred Arabian horse beauty shows, which belong to the Arab Gulf countries at home and abroad in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
