Two German athletes stood on the podium at the end of Sunday’s individual dressage final, just a day after they won gold in the team event.
It was a moment of déjà vu for defending Olympic champion Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl, who secured her second individual title in as many Olympics. With a 90.093, Von Bredow-Werndl was the only rider to score above 90% in the final round, a repeat of her first Olympic title, where her 91.732 was the only score about the coveted 90% mark.
All roads seem to have been leading to Von Bredow-Werndl’s victory in Paris. Since her victory in Tokyo, she has not lost a competition, entering the Games as the 2023 European and World Cup champion. She has held the world No. 1 ranking since June 2023 and showed no shortage of talent throughout the Games, riding the anchor leg to secure Germany’s victory in the team competition. Her position as the best in the world is undeniable, and with four Olympic gold medals in just two Games, it seems as if Von Bredow-Werndl will continue to build her legend in the coming competitions.
If Von Bredow-Werndl is looking to build a legacy, however, then she will have to learn from this year's silver medalist, Isabell Werth. Dressage’s most decorated rider finished on the second step of the podium, just half a point behind her German teammate with a score of 89.614, scoring just four hundredths of a point off her Tokyo score.
It was a monumental performance from the seven-time Olympian, who has been a podium staple since her debut at the 1992 Games. With her silver individual medal and gold in the team competition, Werth raised her all-time total Olympic medal count to an astonishing 14 — the most of any equestrian athlete in any discipline. Werth put on a dazzling display in what was possibly her final Olympic Games, reminding the world how she has maintained her presence on the podium for over three decades.
The podium placements by Von Bredow-Werndl and Werth represent a continuation of Germany’s long history of dressage success. It was the seventh time that Germany has put two riders on the individual dressage podium since the event was introduced at the 1912 Olympics, and the fourth time that they have occupied the top two spots.
Charlotte Fry took home the bronze for Great Britain after falling just short of the top three in the qualifying round. The defending world champion scored an 88.971, just about seven tenths behind Werth, beating out several strong performers. Combined with her team bronze from Saturday, Fry is now a three-time Olympic medalist in two games.