Dressage-crime makes Isabell Werth the record Olympic champion
It's a thriller in the dressage arena: The German dressage team once again crowned themselves Olympic champions in Paris. Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, Frederic Wandres, and Isabell Werth won ahead of Denmark and Great Britain. With eight gold medals, Werth is now Germany's record Olympic champion.
Isabell Werth stood trembling in the park of Versailles, then the anxious wait had a happy ending. Teammate Jessica von Bredow-Werndl saved a narrow lead with Dalera and secured the German dressage team another gold medal at the Olympics. "That was crazy. I thought it wouldn't be enough. It's super, wonderful," said Werth, who became Germany's record medal winner with her eighth gold, to ZDF.
"I think there has never been a closer decision. It's mega, super," Werth added. With a margin of just 0.121 points, Werth with Wendy, Frederic Wandres with Bluetooth, and von Bredow-Werndl with Dalera beat Denmark and secured Germany's fourth gold medal at the 2024 Summer Games. Bronze went to Great Britain.
Werth was also the one who put the German team on the gold track with a strong ride, after Wandres had only finished third in the first round. Von Bredow-Werndl, the double Olympic champion from Tokyo, then rode to victory. "It was a thriller. Now let's see someone say that dressage riding isn't exciting. It was much more exciting than I wanted," said the German last rider.
15th Team Gold for Dressage Riders
With this, Germany has once again dominated the team competition in dressage. It was the 15th team gold, with Werth being part of it seven times. Werth's Olympic record now stands at eight gold and five silver medals. Only canoeist Birgit Fischer has won eight Olympic gold medals, but one silver less. Werth said on ZDF: "I will have a drink with Birgit soon. We both achieved something special."
Werth's unique career began at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where she won team gold with Gigolo. Four years later, she celebrated double gold with the same horse. She also won gold medals with the horses Satchmo, Weihegold, and Bella Rose. Werth's extraordinary record also includes nine World Championship titles.
"I'm incredibly proud of Wendy. She's fantastic to have passed such a test at ten years old. I said it before: If I don't make a mistake, she won't either. The small mistake on the centerline was mine, I was a bit behind. I wanted to keep too much control, in the end, it was a small thing," Werth raved about her horse to ZDF after her ride.
The riders had already secured the second of Germany's four gold medals in Versailles. Michael Jung had already won the individual competition in eventing.
The Olympic Games 2024 in Paris was the stage for Germany's dominant performance in dressage, culminating in their 15th team gold medal victory. Isabell Werth, with her record-breaking eight gold and five silver medals, looked forward to sharing a drink with canoeist Birgit Fischer, who also has eight Olympic gold medals.
