Augustsson Zanotelli gets a chance in multi -million investment in equestrian
– She really goes into this wholeheartedly, says Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli about Mayer’s venture.
– I am passionate about women in the sport, and that you should be able to continue to compete even after having acquired a family, so these are questions that I have long supported. So this feels very inspiring.
As a young man, Deborah Mayer competed some in jumping, but her first venture as a sponsor was in motorsport where she also has a past as active.
In the male motorsport world, Mayer, who works in the financial sector, decided to invest in a completely female team named Iron Dames. The investment was successful, and last year Mayer expanded its commitment to also include jumping sports.
There too The immediate success. Her team « Cannes Stars Powered by Iron Dames », was the most successful team during the regular season in the Global Champions League.
The success provided added flavor. This season, Deborah Mayer has two teams with only female riders.
The new team « Monaco Comets Powered by Iron Dames » includes Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli.
– Even when I saw Iron Dames last year, I felt it was something extra. So when I got the question I said yes immediately, says Angelica Augustsson with a happy voice.
On the surface can Equestrian seen as a female sport – and thus the opposite of motorsport. But when it comes to the elite in jumping, the male dominance is great.
With that as a background, Deborah Mayer’s investment in female riders is completely in line with her involvement in motorsport.
– At the beginning of the year, we were – both riders and racing drivers – in Sankt Moritz on what you can call a training camp to get to know each other, says Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli.
Around the team there is also a large supporting device with everything from dietitians to mental coaches.
– The support we get is something that I have not previously experienced. It’s not like being in a regular GCT team, but this is really something extra.
– Every week I have contact with them where they check if you need help with something.
The team competition Global Champions Leaguewhich is part of the jump tour Global Champions Tour, is not like a regular national jump. The law includes riders from different countries.
The owners of the team have to pay a large sum – according to information, it is somewhere between SEK 20-23 million per team – to participate.
In other words, it is a multi -million investment that is being made.
In the press release regarding the extended venture, Mayer talks about the importance of inclusion and that she wants to inspire future female athletes.
– It is something that they have also talked to us about, and something that feels very motivating, says Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli.
In addition to the team venture, Mayer has also started buying horses for some of the female riders who are part of her team. Among other things, it is now Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann who rides Dubai du Cedre, which Frenchman Julien Epaillard took the Olympic bronze in teams in Paris.
38-year-old Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli received her big breakthrough as early as 2011 when, together with the horse Mic Mac, she won a World Cup competition for a cheering home crowd in Gothenburg
Two years later, the team took a team bronze in the European Championships.
The following year she moved abroad to work in the large competition and sales stall Ashford Farm in Belgium. There she also met her husband the Brazilian national team rider Marlon Zanotelli.
The couple today has three children and now runs their own business in Belgium.
In recent years, Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli has again changed her own venture. In 2021 she was part of the Swedish European Championship team, and this season she is part of the national team’s A-squad.
This year’s season By the Global Champions League, already at the end of February with a first competition in Doha. At the end of March, a competition will be decided in Mexico City before it seriously starts in May.
All team riders do not start in every competition, and Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli’s first competition for her new team will be May 1-4 in Shanghai.
– I am very much looking forward to seeing what both teams can do this season, she says.
