- Disappointment among the jumpers: gold dream bursts early
Germany's Dream of Olympic Gold in Show Jumping Ends Early
Germany's hopes for Olympic gold in show jumping were dashed in the second of three rounds. After initial rider Christian Kukuk, Richard Vogel and his horse United Touch faltered, the German team had to abandon their hopes for their first Olympic victory in 24 years. In the end, the German team finished fifth at the Château de Versailles.
"This is of course disappointing, especially after yesterday's result and how the horses jumped," commented national coach Otto Becker on the German team's performance. "They were good today, they didn't deserve this." However, Becker also admitted, "The others were better today."
Gold went to Great Britain, silver to the USA, and bronze to France. "It's frustrating, but we're not machines," said Kukuk, who started with four penalty points, and added after his ride with Checker, "We can't always ride zero."
The German delegation returned to the stables with downcast faces, having accumulated eight penalty points, too many to contend for a medal.
Even Philipp Weishaupt's flawless final round couldn't change that. The 39-year-old from Riesenbeck rode Zineday smoothly through the course, but it wasn't enough for a medal. "I'm satisfied with my performance, but we lacked a bit today. We didn't manage it like we did in the qualification," said Weishaupt.
The German trio had started the final as the top favorite after their performance the day before, as they were the only team with zero penalty points in the qualification. However, they failed to deliver in front of the royal backdrop.
It started at zero
"Of course, that's a shame," said Kukuk, looking back at their perfect rounds in the qualification. "But that's in the past. We knew how the system works." Due to the new Olympic regulations, everyone started at zero on Friday.
Kukuk, as the starting rider of the German team, had the chance to lead his team. No pair had managed to complete the challenging course without penalty points before him - and until just before the end of the 525-meter-long course with 14 obstacles, everything went perfectly with Checker.
However, the pair made a mistake at the penultimate jump. "That was still good," commented Ludger Beerbaum, under whose sport and trading stable Kukuk and final rider Weishaupt have been working for many years. "That was just very close," said the four-time Olympic champion as the rider came out of the course. "The luck was used up in the exit from the combination," said Kukuk: "That was actually a great round, but then there was a silly mistake."
Vogel also incurs penalty points
Unlike the first day, Vogel rode in the final as the second rider, and the pressure increased with the first clear rounds of the competition. Vogel also showed "a great round," as Kukuk put it. However, he also finished with four penalty points.
"I don't want to make excuses, but my horse jumped fantastic," commented Vogel. "It was the only pole that fell," said the 27-year-old. "That's our sport," he added, showing self-criticism: "I should have simply ridden better."
Despite Germany's strong performance in the qualification, France emerged as the bronze medalists in the show jumping event at the Olympics. Germany, known for their equestrian skills, had to settle for fifth place.
The French team, who secured the bronze, added another achievement to France's rich Olympic equestrian history.
