(US Equestrian)
Omaha, Neb. – The two U.S. vaulters at the 2023 Burlington Capital FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final completed their first day of competition on Thursday in the Technical Tests, with Kimmy Palmer finishing in fourth place in the Individual Female Technical Test and Daniel Janes earning sixth place in the Individual Male Technical Test.
Palmer (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) is one of the top-ranked individual female vaulters in the world and makes her return to the FEI Vaulting World Cup Final for the second time after making her first start last year in Leipzig. Palmer earned an overall score of 7.489 from the panel of judges, vaulting aboard Romeo, a 2009 Westphalian gelding owned by Summit Equestrian LLC, with lunger Christoph Lensing.
“I was happy with the technical move when I go down and up to shoulder stand and then the elbow stand part after that. At the previous competition I did, I messed that up, so I was really happy to get it on point this time,” said Palmer.
Her Technical Test music was inspired by the global Netflix hit, “Wednesday,” based on the popular character, Wednesday Addams, while her Freestyle Test will be performed to a Janis Joplin compilation on Saturday.
“I feel more relaxed. Freestyle is more relaxing for me in general because there aren’t elements I must perform, so it is more grooving and jiving with your music and showing what you show,” she explained. “[The judges] aren’t expecting anything, you just kind of show your best.”
(US Equestrian)
In the Individual Male Technical Test, Daniel Janes (Moss Beach, Calif.) earned a 6.081 from the judges after a loss of balance just before his dismount required him to remount in order to finish his test. Janes also vaulted aboard Romeo, same as Palmer. While the ending of the test was disappointing for Janes, the experience of competing at his first FEI Vaulting World Cup Final as an individual is another career highlight now competing as an individual.
“Honestly, I was really proud of the very beginning of the routine. We had a really strong start, really hit the full end range of the movements,” said Janes of his test. “Things got a little bumpy here and there in the middle. I’m also proud that Romeo and I kept it together and really pushed through to the end, even though there was one mistake at the end.”
Competition Information
Learn more at omaha2023.fei.org.
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