It was a memorable ten days of equestrian action in Paris, set against the backdrop of the iconic Palace of Versailles. With history on the line and stories yet to be written, drama packed the competition from start to finish. It was the German team, however, who controlled the narrative, racing to victories across all three events and setting new records.
FULL REPLAYS: EQUESTRIAN
RESULTS: EQUESTRIAN
| Country | 🥇-🥈-🥉 | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 4 - 1 - 0 | 5 |
| Great Britain | 2 - 0 - 2 | 4 |
| France | 0 - 1 - 1 | 2 |
| Australia | 0 - 1 - 0 | 1 |
| United States | 0 - 1 - 0 | 1 |
| Denmark | 0 - 1 - 0 | 1 |
| Switzerland | 0 - 1 - 0 | 1 |
| Netherlands | 0 - 0 - 1 | 1 |
| Japan | 0 - 0 - 1 | 1 |
Individual Eventing
Equestrian events wasted no time in Paris, breaking records right from the outset of the Games. In the first day of competition, Laura Collett of Great Britain shattered the existing 24-year record for an eventing dressage routine, scoring a 17.5 to put herself in first place.
German hero Michael Jung also soared, joining Collett in breaking the record with a score just 0.3 points behind the British rider. The rest of the competition belonged to Jung, however, who was perfect through the cross-country and jumping competitions, landing him on the top step of the podium.
With his gold medal, Jung becomes the only eventing rider to win three individual Olympic eventing titles, adding to his already-enshrined Hall of Fame career. It is another tremendous record for Jung, who was the first athlete to ever hold the Olympic, World and European titles at the same time.
Medalists:
Michael Jung (GER)
Christopher Burton (AUS)
Laura Collett (GBR)
Team Eventing
History was also made on the team side of the eventing competition, with Great Britain claiming a record-breaking gold medal. In a competition that started with Collett’s historic performance, teammates Tom McEwen and Rosalind Canter turned in phenomenal performances to seal the deal.
With the gold, Great Britian moves up to share first place with the United States in all-time Olympic team eventing medals at 12 each. The British also have the most Olympic team eventing gold medals of all time, boasting five compared to the U.S. and Australia with four.
Japan also shattered expectations in the team competition, fighting its way onto the third step of the podium to claim the bronze medal. This marks Japan’s first Olympic equestrian medal in the past 92 years.
Medalists:
Great Britain
France
Japan
Individual Dressage
Germany continued to control the competition as it entered the dressage stage. In a field of elite riders, dressage titan Isabell Werth showed why she is the greatest to ever compete, taking home the silver medal in her seventh Olympic Games. With three decades of experience and the most medals of any equestrian athlete with 14, Werth’s performance was the exclamation point at the end of a phenomenal career in what may have been her final Games.
Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl’s gold medal was a decisive reminder of who will be assuming Werth’s throne. The German simply cannot lose; she has not lost a competition since before the Tokyo Games, defending her title and remaining undefeated in Olympic competition.
This year's competition marked the seventh time that two German riders have stood together on an individual dressage podium and the fourth time they have finished with gold and silver.
Medalists:
Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl (GER)
Isabell Werth (GER)
Charlotte Fry (GBR)
Team Dressage
Carried by the performances of Werth and Von Bredow-Werndl, Germany danced its way a third consecutive gold medal, writing the nation into the history books as a dominant dressage dynasty.
In the nine Olympic Games since 1992, Germany has won eight gold medals and one silver. Already sitting at the top of the all-time standings, the Germans increased its lead over the rest of the world, raising its total dressage medal count to 14 and its gold medal count to ten.
The United States was eliminated from the competition after Marcus Orlob was forced to stop mid-routine due to an injury on the leg of his horse.
Medalists:
Germany
Denmark
Great Britain
Individual Jumping
One more German stood on the top step of an equestrian podium in individual jumping as Christian Kukuk rode for gold in his Olympic debut.
After qualifying saw 20 riders ride a perfect course, only three athletes managed the feat in the final round, sending the final to a three-way jump off to determine medal positions. Of the three, Kukuk was the only one to ride another perfect course, securing the gold.
Steve Guerdat from Switzerland finished second, picking up four jumping points. It was the five-time Olympian and 2012 individual champion’s third Olympic medal. Maikel van der Vleuten took home his second consecutive bronze, also finishing with four points but logging a longer time that Guerdat.
Swedish star Henrik Von Eckermann was the biggest surprise of the competition. The gold medal favorite was thrown from his horse in the individual final and did not finish the course.
Medalists:
Christian Kukuk (GER)
Steve Guerdat (SUI)
Maikel van der Vleuten (NED)
Team Jumping
The United States secured its only equestrian medal of the Paris Games after it landed the silver medal in the team jumping competition. Veteran Laura Kraut and last-minute substitution Karl Cook set the team on track to repeat their Tokyo silver medal finish with perfect runs.
Great Britain posted a trio of dazzling runs to lock in the gold medal, picking up zero jumping points and two single points on time violations. It was the first team jumping medal for the British since their gold medal at the 2012 London Games.
Host nation France picked up its second team medal of the equestrian competition with its bronze medal finish. It was a strong performance for the French, who struggled in the qualification round.
Medalists:
Great Britain
United States
France
Facing fears
No one had a better time at the equestrian competition than Olympic icon Snoop Dogg. Despite a famous fear of horses, Snoop showed up to support the riders, even getting an assist in facing his long-term phobia.