Torrential rain stops Women’s Final with Murray in the lead

With heavy downpours waterlogging the Riding course and making it impossible for the horses to come out for the penultimate event of the Women’s World Championships Final, the competition has now been suspended until tomorrow. Great Britain’s Olympic silver medallist Samantha Murray is top after two events.

The British World No.6 told us, ‘I am happy with my position after doing well in the fence. It was also a difficult swim in a slow pool with very warm water so to be first at this point in time is good for me personally.’

On the postponement of the competition, Murray added, ‘It is very difficult for all the athletes who have travelled so far to be met by a Typhoon. There has been no recovery time due to us having to compete every day. It has been far from ideal. I hope that the weather does not overshadow these World Championships.’

Understandably disappointed, she might take solace in the fact that Britain currently leads the Team rankings with defending champion Mhairi Spence in tenth position and Freyja Prentice 15th overall.

Murray had recorded the quickest time in the pool, clocked at 2:10.58, after having come fourth in the fence, amassing 2164 points. France’s Elodie Clouvel stands second overall, 48 points behind the Brit.

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said, ‘The most important is the safety of the athletes and the horses, so with these conditions, it was simply impossible to continue. I have been involved in the sport for 50 years and have never experienced conditions like these. Sometimes you just have to accept the will of nature.’

If she can continue her good form when the action gets underway again tomorrow morning, Alise Fakhrutdinova could be a dark horse for honours. The 23-year-old Russian was fifth best on the pistes before she took 10th place in the pool. Her compatriot Donata Rimasaite is just behind her in 4th position with Junior World Championships bronze medallist Gloria Tocchi making up the top five.

2008 Olympic Champion Lena Schoneborn from Germany and Brazil’s 2012 Olympic bronze winner Yane Marques are 6th and 7th respectively as Liudmila Kukushkina of Russian and Ukraine’s Iryna Khokhlova complete the Top 10.