Horses - EQUITANA 2001 -March 2001 - Equiworld - Equestrian Information on the internet

World champion amateur jockey to be a guest at the EQUITANA 2001
Nicole Traber-Renk (36) galloped ahead of the competition

Horse racing seems to be in her blood: the entire family of Nicole Traber-Renk, the reigning world champion amateur jockey, has devoted itself to the noble thoroughbred and the turf - with success . Nicole is not the only one who gained success after success in the Zürich Limmat, her father and her sister Birgt Renk, professionals in the racing saddle, are not unknown in the international galloping scene either.

Nicole, who was born in Switzerland in 1964 and raised in Zürich, discovered her love for thoroughbreds as a child. "We grew up with horses" relates the likeable Swiss lady. After all, her father had some galloping horses, on which he himself raced in competitions. As a consequence, horseracing was all his daughter considered, "the classic disciplines such as dressage and show jumping were never discussed even though the turf has rather a shadowy existence in Switzerland ", says Nicole Traber-Renk. Although she was used to sitting on a saddle as a young child, her racing career did not start until she was 19 years old, when it took off with a sensation as the young woman won her very first race. From then on, she sauntered through the world, getting to know most racing tracks in the world from a jockey's perspective. She developed a particular fondness for two German turfs: Berlin-Hoppegarten and Cologne-Weidenpesch are among her favourite courses. Why that should be is something she cannot explain exactly. Perhaps it is just because that the bends there suit her so well. She has particularly good memories of Cologne, where she won one of the races which counted for the world championship.

A total of 18 races had to be entered throughout the year for the world championship evaluation. These races were both in Europe and overseas, for example in Philadelphia. Nicole Traber-Renk won three of them and came second or third several times. Eventually, the points gained had accumulated to the extent that nobody could vie her for the title - the title of world champion, which is the highpoint in her career. Incidentally, Nicole Traber-Renk is already the second world champion from Switzerland: the reigning champion before her was called Marlis.

And what sports future can there be for a world champion? One thing is sure, she has no intention of giving up riding. For family reasons Nicole Traber Renk wants to cut down on horseracing as a sport- but the world champion does not want to miss a visit to the EQUITANA.

Information for the editorial department: Nicole Traber-Renk will be at the EQUITANA in Essen on the 4th and 5th of March 2001. Please contact the press centre if you wish to interview her.

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