There was an outpouring of emotion in the aftermath, and even hardened veteran Ludger Beerbaum, who slotted into third behind runner-up Edwina Alexander from Australia, expressed his amazement at having taken part in one of the most thrilling competitions seen on the international circuit in recent history.
"For any sport it is fantastic to see very talented up-and-coming young people, and what we saw today was the cream - it doesn't come better than this, and we will remember today for a very long time" said the German legend.
HIGH PRAISE
Dutch course designer Louis Konickx earned high praise from riders all weekend and produced another master-piece for today's test which saw 12 through to the second-round jump-off. With three home runners amongst them, the Swedish interest was always going to be strong, but pathfinders 21 year old Douglas Lindelow and the mare Talina left the door open when hitting the penultimate oxer while fellow-countryman, Peder Fredricson, was eliminated with H&M Arctic Aurora Borealis when they fell at the fifth fence on the new track.
This rustic oxer had been the last in the opening round and as the 38 year old rider galloped down to it, the distance just refused to come up right - Fredricson asked for a long stand-off, the grey gelding tried to chip in an extra stride and the result was a crashing fall that left a muted atmosphere around the ring despite no apparent damage to either horse or rider.
Third to go, Augustsson immediately lifted Swedish spirits however with a stunning run with Midtown du Tillard. This 11 year old Crusing mare looked a handful to ride in Friday's feature class but, as her 24 year old rider explained, "she's not very organised on the flat but she really wants to clear the fences" and as they weaved their way home in 33.69 seconds it was clear they had really put it up to the rest of them.
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