German Competitions - Von Bredow-Werndl set for next championship title and upcoming Olympics.
Initially, there were praises for the horse Dalera, followed by even a few tears of joy from top dressage rider Jessica von Bredow-Werndl. She felt that she had once more excelled in her performance on Sunday.
The 38-year-old received a score of 89.600% and another German championship title. In contrast to other squad riders for the Olympics, she is already firmly scheduled for the event.
"I've never felt like this before"
For the second time in a row and the third time overall, she took home both gold medals in Balve - slightly over seven weeks before the showpiece of the year takes place in Paris, where her form and the correct path of Germany's greatest medal hope in dressage is verified.
"I've never felt like this. The tears immediately came to my eyes as soon as I had finished," the rider from Aubenhausen, who had won the Special the day before, said with a shaky voice. "It felt so effortless, so natural, and so strong. I could have ridden that test four more times and Dalera would have been just as good."
In Balve, where the national championships will take place until 2030, things didn't go ideally for her on Thursday in the first test ride, despite the triumph. There were also tiny beauty errors on Saturday. "That's completely fine. That's how I receive an honest reflection of myself, what the right ratio is," said the two-time individual Olympic champion from Tokyo, who improved her performance and resisted the pressure from the second-placed Frederic Wandres on Duke of Britain (83.450%).
National coach Monica Theodorescu was content. She observed improvement in her squad riders before the next selection tournament in Aachen, where the further Paris lineup will be revealed.
However, there may be specific concerns for Isabell Werth. The seven-time Olympic champion intended to compete in Sauerland with Quantaz and Wendy de Fontaine. The mare had injured herself only before the national championships. "I hope there's a way for Wendy," said Theodorescu. "The horse must be 100% fit. Health and fitness are top priorities."
There is no room for games or health uncertainties at the Olympics. "Absolutely no room for games or health uncertainties," said the coach. With Quantaz, Werth finished fifth in both championship tests. "Today I messed up, because I didn't ride the changes hard enough and too comically," the 54-year-old admitted.
Conversely, von Bredow-Werndl has no concerns about her top mare's health. "Dalera has never felt more fit and fresh than now. She had no wet hair - despite the sun and the heat. That was my intention. So we'll simply remain calm and continue working in a serene manner," she remarked on Saturday.
The Bavarian, who will take a break in Aachen, still has minor tweaks to make in her program. "That's my hobby. I enjoy tinkering," said von Bredow-Werndl. Balve provided a preview of this in the dressage competition. "I didn't perform it musically, but choreographically," she said. "I believe it's also significant that I always remain in this development mode. This is why I felt in the dressage competition that there were better lines for us. Perhaps it was just the optimal line we had in Tokyo."
The outcome is known: In Japan, von Bredow-Werndl was awarded for her creativity and finesse with three gold medals. Repeating this achievement is her main objective. Theodorescu also views her "on a very good track."
Read also:
- Jessica von Bredow-Werndl's performance in Dressage at the Balve competition was so exceptional that she won another German championship title and secured her spot as a Dressage rider for the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo.
- The triumph in Balve also marked von Bredow-Werndl's third time winning both gold medals in the event, indicating her strong value as Germany's greatest medal hope in Equestrian sport.
- As the nation's coach, Monica Theodorescu was content with the improvements observed in her squad riders, especially von Bredow-Werndl, before the selection tournament in Aachen, which will reveal the final lineup for the Paris Championships.
- Despite some minor glitches in her first test ride and tiny beauty errors on Saturday, von Bredow-Werndl was satisfied with her performance in Balve, and her top mare, Dalera, was in the best shape she had ever been in, with no visible signs of fatigue even in the scorching heat.
- The Olympic champion, Isabell Werth, had planned to compete in Sauerland with Quantaz and Wendy de Fontaine, but due to an injury, the mare was unable to participate in the national championships, making Werth's participation uncertain for Paris.
- Jessica von Bredow-Werndl has already announced that she will be taking a break in Aachen and making minor tweaks to her program, highlighting her dedication to perfecting her craft before the Paris Championships and the Tokyo Olympics.
- The atmosphere in Aachen will be significant, as it will serve as a dry run for the Olympics, and the riders will be under immense pressure to perform at their best, with no room for errors or health uncertainties.
- Even though von Bredow-Werndl and her top horse, Dalera, were unstoppable in Japan, they are determined to repeat their success in Paris and cement their position as the best Dressage team in the world.
- As Germany prepares for the Paris Championships and the Tokyo Olympics, the nation's top Dressage riders, including Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Isabell Werth, remain focused on their training, aiming to bring home more medals for Germany in the equestrian sport.
