Britain's ladies were unbeatable at the FEI World Cup Vaulting Final in Bordeaux (4-5 February), with world number one Joanne Eccles finishing just ahead of her younger sister, Hannah. 

Joanne does it again

Joanne Eccles' performance was exemplary, according to onlookers, while the family's horse, WH Bentley, was expertly lunged by Joanne and Hannah's father, John.

Watch Joanne's winning routine below:

A tense final

The ladies final got underway with Switzerland’s Simone Jaiser and her horse Luk posting an overall aggregate score of 7.870. Italy’s Anna Cavallaro stumbled backwards on dismount, but still pleased the judges for a mark of 7.990 with Harley, while Germany’s Sarah Kay had to make a hasty conclusion to her 60-second routine when also partnering Luk, but achieved a mark of 8.040 on the scoreboard.

Hannah Eccles was next into the arena with Bentley, and, as older sister Joanne explained, was not fazed by stepping into the limelight. “She got through to the final due to the injury of another girl - she thought her season was finished before Christmas so she came here totally relaxed and not expecting too much,” Joanne explained.

Pressure on

Hannah, 20, demonstrated great artistic flow for a score of 8.227, piling the pressure on the final two.

But 23-year-old Joanne, a gold medallist at the FEI World Equestrian Game two years ago, presented a charming picture from the outset, scoring 8.837 with her Chitty Chitty Bang Bang routine.

After claiming the FEI World Cup Female Vaulting title for the first time, Joanne paid tribute to 'gentle giant' Bentley. “My own success and Hannah’s too, none of it would have happened without him,” she said. “He’s as steady as a rock and so trustworthy.” 

Other great partners

In the men's section, Switzerland’s Patric Looser made the perfect exit from the sport when taking the title. He too paid tribute to his equine partner, the former dressage horse Record RS von der Wlintermuhle. “We are retiring together,” said Looser, 27. “I always wanted that both of us would retire in good condition and in great form. He’s a really special horse - the best in the sport,” he added about the 20-year-old gelding.

Result:

Male Final - 1, Patric Looser (Record RS Von Der Wintermuehle) SUI 8.817; 2, Ivan Nousse (Whisper) FRA 8.230; 3, Viktor Brusewitz (Harry Potter RS Von der Wintermuehle) GER 8.044; 4, Lukas Klouda (Harry Potter RS Von der Wintermuehle) CZE 8.034; 5, Lukas Heppler (Waimar CH) SUI 7.984; 6, Remy Hombecq (Whisper) FRA 7.330.

Female Final - 1, Joanne Eccles (WH Bentley) GBR 8.837; 2, Hannah Eccles (WH Bentley) GBR 8.227; 3, Anne-Sophie Musset Agnus (Harley) FRA 8.214; 4, Sarah Kay (Luk) GER 8.040; 5, Anna Cavallaro (Harley) ITA 7.990; 6, Simone Jaiser (Luk) SUI 7.870.