- Disappointment with the jumpers: fifth place instead of gold
The last rides of the competition for the medals were watched by Bundestrainer Otto Becker on a large TV screen at the warm-up area. The dream of German show jumping gold after 24 years or at least a medal was long gone when the British team celebrated their Olympic victory. Accordingly, the coach was disappointed after finishing fifth: "Of course, this is a disappointment."
Not only Becker had hoped for a flawless performance in the qualification. After the German team's appearance in the Versailles castle gardens, he stated: "They were good today, they didn't deserve this." At the same time, Becker admitted: "The others were better today."
Early end of hopes
The dream of gold for Germany's show jumpers ended in the second of three rounds. After starter Christian Kukuk, Richard Vogel also made a mistake with his horse United Touch, forcing the German trio to abandon their hopes for the first Olympic victory since 2000 in Sydney.
"The qualification was outstanding, the final was good - but good is not enough at this strong level to win a medal," summarized sports director Dennis Peiler. The sports director of the FN admitted: "In the end, there is only disappointment." Behind Great Britain, the USA won silver, and France took bronze.
Zero round comes too late
With downcast faces, the German delegation returned to the stables from the 15,000-seat venue. A total of eight penalty points were too many to interfere in the medal race. Even Philipp Weishaupt's flawless final round could not change that.
The 39-year-old from Riesenbeck rode Zineday confidently through the course - but it was not enough for a medal. "I'm satisfied with my performance. But something was missing today. We didn't manage it like we did in the qualification," said Weishaupt.
The German trio started the final as the top favorite after their performance the day before. Only Germany had no penalty points in the qualification - but when it mattered, the team under Bundestrainer Becker came up empty-handed in front of the royal backdrop.
It started at zero
"Yes, that's a shame," said Kukuk, looking back at the flawless rounds in the qualification. "But that's in the past. We knew how the system works." On Friday, all teams started again at zero due to the new Olympic regulations. "There's no point discussing that," said the Bundestrainer.
Kukuk had the chance as the starter of the German team to bring his team into the lead. No pair had managed to complete the difficult course without penalty points before him - and until just before the end of the 525-meter-long course with 14 obstacles, everything went perfectly in the saddle of Checker. But the pair made a mistake at the penultimate jump. "The luck was used up in the combination," said Kukuk: "That was actually a great round, but then there was a stupid mistake."
Vogel also collects penalty points
Unlike the first day, Vogel rode in the final as the second starter, and the pressure increased due to the first penalty-free rounds of the competition. The 27-year-old from Marburg also showed "a great round," as Kukuk put it. But Vogel 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 how our sport is," added the man from Marburg and showed self-criticism: "I should have ridden better." Now there are still chances in the individual competition on Monday and Tuesday. Weishaupt's goal is clear: "I want my medal!"
Despite their exceptional performance in the qualification, the German show jumping team, led by Bundestrainer Becker, faced disappointment in Paris, finishing fifth. Their hopes for gold ended earlier than anticipated, with errors from Christian Kukuk and Richard Vogel in the second round.
After a flawless qualification, Germany started the final as the top favorite, but failure to navigate the course without penalty points resulted in a fifth-place finish for the team.
