Overview

The interview is with David Dybman, Executive Producer at Eurosport, who will be accompanied by one camera man, William Eneau. This interview will be used within a 25-minute documentary to be aired before mid-January in Eurosport’s Asia/Pacific region (Hong-Kong, Malaysia, Indonésia, Philippines, Maldives, Myanmar, Australia, Fiji, Tonga, Singapore, Brunei and Sri Lanka). The documentary will focus on Edwina Alexander, but will also include interviews with and footage of other riders, including Rodrigo Pessoa, Ludo Philippaerts and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum. The footage used in the documentary will be mainly of Edwina training at home in Valkenswaard, at training sessions just before the Verona and Stuttgart legs of the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping as well as podium footage from Abu Dhabi after Edwina won the GCT (with Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and Michael Whitaker on the podium) and the 2009 GCT in Valkenswaard where Meredith and Edwina finished 1st and 2nd.

Interview questions:

1. Do you have a few words to describe Edwina?

Edwina is a true ambassador for the sport of Jumping. As well as being incredibly talented, she is also down-to-earth and always smiling and engaging with the public. She is especially considerate of younger generations of equestrians who dream one day of becoming professional athletes. It is important for the future of the sport that equestrian athletes at the summit of their careers act as role models, so that young equestrians can focus on their goals and plan their futures.

2. What does she have more than others?

Edwina’s passion for horses from a young age, and her willpower to succeed as a youngster growing up and competing in Australia set her on a journey that has taken her to the very top of her sport. After winning the Australian Young Rider Championships in 1995, she headed to Europe to compete against the world’s best Jumping riders. In 2006, she finished fourth at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen and went on to compete at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Kentucky in 2010. She has won many Grand Prix, including Brussels, Valkenswaard, London, Zurich, Cannes and Doha and has just won the Global Champions Tour outright for the second year running. She has also now represented her country at both the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the London 2012 Olympic Games. There’s no doubt that she has the talent to win a medal at world or Olympic level. It hasn’t happened yet, but it will!

3. Do you remember the first time you met her?

Ma’am – I will leave you to answer this question.

4. How do you feel somebody like Jan Tops has influenced Edwina’s success?

Edwina and Jan both possess natural qualities that are very important to long term success in equestrian sport. They are both highly motivated, determined and dynamic, and they have a very positive outlook on life and on the career path that they have chosen in equestrian sport. Jan is also incredibly talented at spotting horses with potential and Edwina is brilliant at producing these horses and taking them to the very top of the sport.

5. Few words on Itot du Château

Edwina and Itot have jumped together at the greatest shows in the world, including the last two Olympic Games and countless Grand Prix. They have also now notched up two consecutive Global Champions Tour wins and are doing well in the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping series. Itot is known for having a lot of power, for being a natural athlete and for his superb character. He’s a real fighter, in the best sense of the word, and he wants to win for Edwina. You can’t ask more of a horse. Edwina and Itot know each other extremely well now, and they are a tremendous team.

6. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Edwina Alexander at the top it's good for equestrian too?

Equestrian sport is one of the few sports in which men and women compete against each other on an equal footing. It is fantastic to see Edwina, Meredith and several other extremely talented female riders including Beezie Madden and Laura Kraut from the US, and Penelope Leprevost from France high up in the Rolex Rankings. Equestrian is a sport where the women can, and do, beat the men in competition. Long may it continue!