Lexington, KY – Braving frigid temperatures, US vaulter, Mary McCormick, won the 2009 CVI** Leipzig, January 23-25.

In front of huge German crowds McCormick put on an impressive show vaulting on Tjekko (owned and lunged by Lasse Kristensen), to finish on 8.367 just ahead of Switzerland’s Marion Graf and Ines Juckstock from Germany. Leipzig plays host to a CDI, CAI and CSI and the multi-discipline event drew tens of thousands of fans.

“Competing at Leipzig was an amazing experience,” said McCormick. “It was a true honor to participate in an event of such magnitude and to share the arena with some of the world’s best dressage and jumping riders.”

McCormick travelled from her Woodside, CA home to Germany, which was suffering from a serious cold snap during the competition. Temperatures plummeted to well below freezing and fortunately for the fans and competitors, the entire Leipzig venue is climate controlled. The miles (and cold temperatures) proved worth the effort and McCormick won both rounds against the world’s best vaulters. This CVI is a Masters competition, meaning that only the top 10 internationally ranked male and female vaulters received an invitation. McCormick is consistently in the top placings both stateside and internationally.

“This CVI was a maiden voyage for Tjekko, yet he performed beautifully and carried me to first place in both rounds of competition,” said McCormick. “It was a proud moment for me to stand in the arena during the prize ceremony while they played the U.S. National Anthem.”

For more information about the USEF’s Vaulting programs, please contact Pam Lane at [email protected].