Driving World Championships At the FEI WEG Boyd Exell turned in a spectacular drive! photo by Nancy Brannon Boyd Exell of Australia won the individual gold medal in the Driving World Championships at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. With only one ball down in the obstacles phase, held at the Driving Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park, Exell (134.04) edged Ijsbrand Chardon of the Netherlands (135.24) and Tucker Johnson of the United States (150.06). Johnson is the second four-in-hand driving medalist in the history of the U.S. team, and he led teammates Chester Weber (who was the first U.S. individual medalist, winning individual silver in 2008) and James Fairclough to the team silver medal (330.92). This is the second team silver medal this trio has won at the World Equestrian Games. (The first was in 2002.) Chardon, a four-time individual world champion, led the Netherlands to the team gold medal (279.77), the third time they’ve won the team gold medal in the World Equestrian Games. Germany moved up to the bronze medal (322.20) when Tomas Eriksson of Sweden was eliminated for going off course and took his third-placed team with him. On the opening day of the Dressage phase, IJsbrand Chardon, the second driver in the arena, turned in a spectacular performance to score a 35.97. In the next to last position was Chester Weber, driving for the United States, who turned in the identical score to stand tied with Chardon for first place. But on the second day of the Dressage phase, Boyd Exell turned in even a more spectacular drive, putting him in first place with a phenomenal 30.08 score. That put bumped Chardon and Weber to a second place tie, and Johnson to fourth with his very respectable 40.19 score. In the exciting Marathon on Saturday, Exell drove the day’s third-fastest time to maintain the lead he took in the Dressage phase. Second-placed Ijsbrand Chardon’s drive put his Dutch team in front (273.77), while third-placed Tucker Johnson led the U.S. team’s charge for second place (300.92). Chardon, a former multiple-time world champion and one of the sport’s fastest marathon drivers, drove the fastest of the 25 drivers total time through the eight obstacles at Saturday’s Marathon. Final Individual Results: First: Boyd Exell, of Australia (294.64 penalty points) Second: I Chardon, of the Netherlands (303.45 penalty points) Third: T. Johnson, of the USA (337.31 penalty points) Other USA drivers: J. Fairclough placed ninth (391.69 penalty points) and Chester Weber placed tenth (375.81 penalty points).