German show jumpers face another bitter disappointment
After a flawless qualification, hopes for Olympic gold were high. However, the German show jumping trio left the Olympic team final empty-handed. Two refusals from Christian Kukuk and Richard Vogel ended all dreams early.
Once again, no gold, only bronze: The German show jumpers experienced another bitter disappointment with fifth place in the Olympic team competition. Like in Tokyo 2021, the team coached by Otto Becker missed out on medals, finishing behind the winning British team. The wait for the first Olympic victory in 24 years continues.
Christian Kukuk with Checker, Richard Vogel with United Touch, and Philipp Weishaupt with Zineday faltered after a strong start and a flawless qualification, with two refusals from Kukuk and Vogel ending all hopes early. They failed to achieve their minimum goal set before the Games.
"I'm just disappointed," said the visibly frustrated Otto Becker: "Two careless mistakes, it wasn't enough, the others were better." He didn't want to "beat around the bush." Vogel was also shocked. "When you start for Germany here, the expectation is that we bring home a medal," he said after qualifying first: "That's what we owe Germany, at least that's how it feels for us."
Philipp Weishaupt couldn't save the situation
The disappointment was great. Christian Kukuk and Checker knocked down the penultimate fence, and Richard Vogel and United Touch had a refusal at the last fence. "In the end," said Vogel, "it was up to Christian and me to put us in a good position."
Philipp Weishaupt did better, remaining clear with the ten-year-old Zineday, but couldn't save the medal dream single-handedly. Behind the British team, which had already won gold in eventing, the USA and host nation France finished second and third, watched by President Emanuel Macron.
Germany was suddenly the favorite after the flawless qualification the day before, with the ninth Olympic victory for a German show jumping team seeming realistic. However, Kukuk, the first starter, made a mistake, and Vogel followed suit. "Shit, this can't be true," Kukuk exclaimed, slapping his thigh in anger.
Vogel, the team's young star, had repeatedly emphasized the team's self-confidence and high concentration during his Olympic debut. However, he and his teammates could not improve Germany's dismal medal record of just one medal in the last four Games.
The next chance comes in the individual final on Tuesday, where all three Germans can still hope for a medal. The showdown promises to be exciting, with Sweden's world champion Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward being the main rivals. "Our three guys are professionals," said Becker: "They know what's at stake." And hopefully, they'll leave all the poles up.
Despite their strong performance in qualifications, the Olympic team final saw two refusals from Christian Kukuk and Richard Vogel, ultimately resulting in no medals for the German show jumping team in The Olympic Games. Additionally, the team's hopes for a ninth Olympic victory in show jumping remained unfulfilled, adding to Germany's less-than-impressive medal record in recent Games.
