WDSF Open Senior III Standard evolves into a Team Match: Germany vs. Italy
With 155 couples, the Senior III Standard division fielded by far the largest starting field of the day—and indeed, of the entire weekend. Consequently, five rounds were required before the six finalists could be determined. The final itself evolved into a national showdown between Germany and Italy, as each nation was represented by three couples. Given the highly balanced level of performance, the competition proved to be extremely thrilling. In the end, Fabian Lohaß and Simone Braunschweig from Berlin came out on top—winning three dances to their opponents’ two—thereby securing the tournament victory for Germany. Finishing right behind them—with one first-place finish and two second- and third-place finishes each—were the top Italian couple, Massimiliano Ferrini and Elisabetta Galilei. The remaining first-place finish (in the Slowfox) went to Ingo Bauer and Sandra Fürsattel from Nuremberg; with a second-place finish in the Tango and third-place finishes in the remaining dances, they narrowly lost out in the battle for second place in the overall standings. Fourth place across all dances went to Peter and Miriam Pfeiffer from Braunschweig, while the two remaining Italian couples engaged in a head-to-head duel for fifth and sixth place—a contest that Stefan Maraboli and Laura Donati narrowly won against Armando Nespoli and Natalia Gualandris.
Final WDSF Open Senior III Standard (155)
- Fabian Lohauß / Simone Braunschweig, Askania – TSC Berlin
- Massimiliano Ferrini / Elisabetta Galilei, Italy
- Ingo Bauer / Sandra Fürsattel, TSC Rot-Gold-Casino Nürnberg
- Peter Pfeiffer / Miriam Pfeiffer, Braunschweiger TSC
- Stefano Maraboli / Laura Donati, Italy
- Armando Nespoli / Natalia Gualandris, Italy