Shortly after the conclusion of the Large Final at the European Open 2024, a post with the above picture of Veronika Kralikova caused a stir. It shows how Border Collie Naya completes the seesaw in accordance with the rules. This is significant because Veronika Kralikova received a fault for doing exactly that in the final. The running time of 37.512 seconds would otherwise have been enough for second place. Some competitors also expressed their regret on social media.
We jump back to late Sunday afternoon. One final decision is to be made at the European Open 2024. Namely the title of European Open winner in the Large category. With an early starting number as the last to qualify regularly for the final, the young Slovakian Veronika Kralikova and Naya are at the start. The judge in the very last course of the tournament is the local hero Neil Ellis. A fast, flowing course. In our opinion, a beautiful final course and the perfect end to the tournament. The fast sections, paired with some changes of direction and outs, which the dog has to complete independently, seem to be made for the Slovakian duo. This was already clear only after just a few passed obstacles. They completed the first 12 obstacles without any mistakes or even a small uncertainty. By then, the first two contact zones namely, the A-Frame and the dogwalk had already been completed.
Then the two reach the seesaw. Obstacle number 13. And the number 13, often considered to bring bad luck, literally brings bad luck to them in this final. The seesaw is in a straight line between a sideway jump, which the dog has to do independently, and a straight 9-meter tunnel. This naturally makes the seesaw a little more difficult for the dogs, as the runners have to get off the ground early. In the case of Naya and Veronika, this worked semi-optimally at first glance. It is clear that Naya stops for a moment relatively high up in the contact zone but then jumps away to the side. How the dog leaves the obstacle does not matter. As long as the seesaw touches the ground and the dog still has one paw on the contact surface at that time.
For judge Neil Ellis, who has to decide within a fraction of a second, was the get off not in accordance with the rules. He raised his hand. This meant that Veronika and Naya had no chance of a place in the top ranks anymore. Despite the setback, the two completed the rest of the run perfectly. As tragic as the situation is, Veronika Kralikova and Naya are one example of many. Sometimes there are decisions in your favor or against you. This article is not meant to be a bashing of Neil Ellis. In the end, he is also just a human being who, as already mentioned, has to make decisions within a fraction of a second. It is only human that mistakes are made, especially after three days of almost non-stop work. The judges should be offered technical aids here so that all participants have fair conditions. And so that the judges also have a fair chance. It is of course annoying that this happened in such an important situation and that it ultimately cost Veronika Kralikova second place. But we are sure that we will see them both on an international podium in the near future. And of course also Neil back in action as a judge as soon as possible.
Veronika Kralikova also defended Neil Ellis and showed greatness. In an emotional post on Facebook a few hours after the run, Veronika Kralikova commented on the decision as follows: “Naya, you’re a VICE CHAMPION for me! Sport is unfair, human is no robot and life threw another lesson on me that I just need to accept. Time for second place between all these dogs after hard days is just craaaaazy cool. It’s definitely not easy to feel this way but I don’t blame anyone, nevertheless I feel extremely proud to run with her. Thank you everyone for support, we love you all.”
Gold Rush Competition 2024
ProsecCup 2024
