Equestrian sports are ageless and equally make no gender distinctions: Everyone against everyone else, young and old, men and women, in all specialities.
And the Italian leg of the Longines FEI Show Jumping World Cup™ will even involve an ultra-generational clash. John Whitaker, the most experienced competitor at Jumping Verona, is 48 years older than the two teenagers – Jennifer Hochstadter and Lorenzo Correddu – who are both making their debut in a CSI5*-W event.
Whitaker, by now 67 years old (he was born 5 August 1955), is still a brilliant representative of the historic family from West Yorkshire: Having won many Olympic, World and European Championship medals, Briton Whitaker also won the Italian GP valid for the World Cup twice, in 1997 and 2000, when the event was held in Bologna.
A rider from Liechtenstein and just 19 years old (she was born 4 August 2003), Hochstadter this year achieved eighth place in the European young riders event and previously took part in a CSI5* competition in March in Paris. A curiosity: Jennifer has already competed in Verona: when she was only 13 years old, she grabbed second place in a CS12* event riding Thor de Talma.
Three months older (born 2 April 2003), Correddu came to the fore in 2017 when he won the gold medal when only 14 years old at the European Children event riding Touche D Arrogance. He also competed in a CSI5* in May this year, in Piazza di Siena. There’s another curiosity about Lorenzo, as well: his elder brother, Francesco, still not yet 22 years old, will compete in Verona with the Italian team.
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