– I had a great feeling all the way through, and of course it’s fun when it happens here, says Freese to news. Freese and the stallion Total Hope Old delivered the goods and certainly looked it when they were in action in the dressage arena at the Olympics – a stone’s throw away from the Palace of Versailles. – What is this lady made of? Now she may have secured her place in the final. It is so raw that I have no words. Absolutely crazy, said Discovery expert Heidi Skar after Freese had been in action. – It was magical, added commentator Tormod Bakke Johnsen. Freese’s performance was awarded 76.397 percent by the judges, a two percent improvement on her career best. In this context, it is a big leap. – Is it possible? The dressage competition takes place a little to the west of Paris, in fairytale-like surroundings. For the public, this is the view of the Palace of Versailles as they watch the Olympic practice: STUNNING: It was on this course that Freese delivered the impressive score of 76.397, which is also a personal best. Photo: Martine Sørhus / news – It was really nice. It was great fun. I noticed quite early in the program that he is super nice, that he listens to me and that it fits. It was fantastic, says Freese to news. She is the first Norwegian dressage rider in an Olympic context since 2012. Then Siril Helljesen was very close to a final, and she is now allowing herself to be impressed by Freese. – It is completely raw. She delivers her personal best when it really matters, she says and continues: – What she achieves is very great. She delivers a fantastically good percentage. When I saw it I thought “Oh, is that possible”, it’s really well done. The best two in each group went directly to the final on Wednesday, and in addition the final field was filled up by the six other riders with the best scores. The German-resident rider’s percentage was high enough, and she is therefore among the 20 riders who will participate in the final – The fact that a Norwegian rider gets such a high percentage is incredibly well done. There is no Norwegian who has managed it in such a championship, says the former Olympic rider, Helljesen. Tough pool Freese and the stallion found themselves in a tough pool, where they were joined by some of the world’s best riders. But that didn’t stop the Norwegian rider from impressing. – It was really nice. It was great fun, so I noticed early on in the program that he was super nice and that he listened to me, she told news after she had been in action. Former commentator Rita Morvik is aware of what this means for equestrian sport in Norway. – This means a lot for Norwegian dressage. I think it’s fantastically funny what she gets up to. It is quite a feat, and is the best thing that has been done in modern times, she says. Published 31.07.2024, at 15.08 Updated 31.07.2024, at 15.29
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