- Another gold for Germany in dressage and a silver for Germany.
Radiant, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl rode out of the bustling stadium, praising her Dalera and saying, "Hopefully, that's enough." And it was. The 38-year-old won gold in the individual event with her mare and crowned herself the Dressage Queen of the Olympic Games in the park of the Palace of Versailles. Silver went to Isabell Werth with Wendy.
For von Bredow-Werndl, this was her second gold in Versailles after winning with the team and repeating her double victory from Tokyo. She had to wait until the end, as the last rider was Catherine Laudrup-Dufour with Freestyle, but the Dane faltered and had to settle for fifth place.
Von Bredow-Werndl made her Dalera dance again in the Kür. To a medley of French chanson music, she lined up elements of the highest difficulty with the mare. After her outstanding performance, she wiped away a tear.
But Werth also put on a gala in the Kür. To a potpourri around the schmaltzy song "Mandy" by Barry Manilow, which was adapted to "Wendy" for her horse, the 55-year-old from Rheinberg thrilled the approximately 15,000 spectators in the steel pipe stadium of Versailles. After her ride, she showed her fist and beamed.
No time for celebration
The day before, Werth and von Bredow-Werndl, together with Frederic Wandres, had already won a gold medal in the team event. There was hardly any time to celebrate, as preparations for the Kür began that same evening, where the two German riders became competitors - and both won another medal each.
Werth had already achieved something unique with her team's narrow victory, becoming Germany's record medal winner. Her Olympic record now stands at eight gold and six silver medals. Birgit Fischer, the German number two, has eight Olympic gold and four silver medals. "That's really something special," Werth said of her Olympic record. "It makes me very proud." She plans to have a drink with Fischer soon. "We've both really achieved something."
"Blood and water were sweating"
The path to the record victory, Germany's 15th team gold at the Olympics, was a particularly narrow one. Werth had already written it off because von Bredow-Werndl showed unusual weaknesses in the Grand Prix Special. "We miscalculated, went to the stable and thought it wouldn't be enough," Werth reported. "I thought it was over."
When the jubilation in the stadium broke out, "we had to go back," Werth said, grinning. "Let's see who still says dressage is boring." The experienced rider admitted, "We didn't expect it to be such a thriller. We were sweating blood and water."
"No, doesn't exist"
Werth's unique career began at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where she won team gold with Gigolo. Four years later, she won double gold with the same horse. She also won gold with the horses Satchmo, Weihegold, and Bella Rose. Werth's extraordinary record also includes nine World Championship titles. "This perseverance over all these years is incredible," her teammate Frederic Wandres raved. "No, doesn't exist."
Wandres also returned home with gold to Hagen in the Osnabruck region. However, in the individual event, the 37-year-old had no chance of making it to the podium with Bluetooth. The national coach had told him before the ride: "Remember, you're an Olympic champion as of yesterday." He thus enjoyed the ride.
In the team event prior to the individual event, Isabell Werth and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, along with Frederic Wandres, secured another gold medal for Germany, adding to von Bredow-Werndl's previous team gold won in Versailles. (Germany)
Following her outstanding performance in the Kür, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, riding Dalera, became the first German rider to win individual gold and team gold at the same Olympic Games, held in the Palace of Versailles. (Germany)
