March 3, 2019 
“My horse jumped amazing and, in my mind, Daniel is the best rider in the world at the moment, so thank you Daniel!”
Olympic bronze medalist Pius Schwizer, of Switzerland, had nothing but praise for his Shanghai Swans teammate Daniel Deusser (GER) in Doha on Saturday.
The pair—two of the six-member Global Champions League (GCL) team also represented by Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam, Sweden’s Peder Fredricson, Saudi Arabia’s Kamal Bahamdan and the Netherland’s Kim Emmen—captured the first leg of the 2019 GCL season in Qatar.
If Schwizer is a superfan of the German rider, the feeling is mutual.
Said a delighted Deusser: “We have a very good team, but still in the end you have to get the job done! We had a strong day on Thursday, and two clear rounds today—I have a super partner with Pius, so we’re very happy.”
Of the 16 GCL teams to contest the GCL Doha, the Shanghai Swans were the only to produce a fault-free performance.
“I expected more teams on a double clear today, but it showed the course was tough,” continued Deusser. “There were faults everywhere. It’s a long season, but the first step is done so we hope to continue like this.”
Valkenswaard United’s Bertram Allen (IRL) and Frank Schuttert (NED) took second on a team score of four faults in 149.65 seconds. New York Empire’s Scott Brash (GBR) and Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER), third on four faults in 152.06 seconds.
The innovative Global Champions League is the only team competition in show jumping comprised of multinational teams. The 2019 season features 20 legs spanning Europe and North America.
