Equestrian: Having clinched the World Cup round on Sunday through Helena Weinberg, the Germans were uber alles again last night when Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum snatched the Olympia Grand Prix at the popular pre-Christmas show jumping championships in London.

Neither Weinberg nor Michaels-Beerbaum were born in Germany, but both have served their adopted countries well and the latter, American by birth, gave her rivals the runaround last night to lift the £12,300 winner's purse with consummate ease.

The hosts had by far the strongest hand, with four of the 10 through to the timed decider, but the Olympia show-closer has eluded Britain for the past 11 years. Michael Whitaker, winner back in 1992 with Everest Midnight Madness, was one of the British quartet trying to redress the balance, but Meredith-Michaels had already thrown down a gauntlet that no one was able to pick up and Whitaker's two down left him well off the pace in 10th.

Dutchman Jan Tops, winner of Friday's World Cup pre-qualifier, set the early target with the mare Roofs, but that was instantly annihilated by home favourite John Whitaker who slashed off 3.25 of a second with the stallion Lord Z.

That was good enough to clinch the leading rider title, but it wasn't quick enough to stay out in front and Meredith-Michaels, back in the saddle for only the past two months after a lengthy lay-off through injury, had no difficulty in wiping Whitaker's eye.

The Los Angeles-born jockey broke her right leg when landing on her feet in a fall from her Grand Prix mare Stella at the end of May, but she went for broke last night, hurdling round the twisting jump-off track to clock 30.77 seconds with the nine-year-old Shutterfly and no one else came near.

Robert Smith, winner of Sunday night's big class, came closest with the grey Kalusha when finishing with a .80 deficit.

OLYMPIA GRAND PRIX: 1, Germany's Shutterfly (Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum), 0 faults, 30.77 seconds; 2, Britain's Kalusha (Robert Smith), 0, 31.57; 3, Switzerland's Campus (Steve Guerdat), 0, 32.86; 4, Britain's Lord Z (John Whitaker), 33.21; 5, Holland's Roofs (Jan Tops), 0, 36.46; 6, Germany's Candy (Alois Pollmann-Schweckhorst), 4, 32.68.