Germany Take Historic Aachen Team Gold
Team Germany, led by Chef d’Equipe Otto Becker, won the FEI Jumping World Championship gold medal at Aachen on Friday, their first ever on home soil. Having dominated the field since Day 1, the Germans ended the competition on a total of 4.48 points, just 1 over their initial score.
Daniel Deusser, silver medalist at this year’s Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final, secured the victory as only the third rotation ride, turning in a textbook clear with Otello de Guldenboom.
A battle for the other two podium slots ensued, with the leaderboard a rollercoaster of changes until the last few rides. Ultimately, Belgium, coached by Peter Weinberg, carried off the silver, thanks to a clear round from Abdel Saïd with Wathnan Quaker Brimbelles Z.
Great Britain — under the direction of Chef d’Equipe Di Lampard, who won a World Team medal for the nation in 1998 at Rome — were awarded the bronze medal.
At the opening bell, Germany were ahead of the USA by just over a point. They were chased by Italy and Belgium tied for third. The defending champions from Herning (DEN) in 2022, Sweden, were in sixth place.
The top 10 teams who qualified for the medal round had been whittled down from the original 31 nations. And with all of them separated by less than 3 points, the podium was definitely up for grabs. Also on offer were seven Team berths to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games — excluding the hosts from the USA — making the competition extra fierce.
Frank Rothenberger’s Table A course on the Allianz Park grass had a long time limit of 87 seconds, needed for the high verticality and tricky double and triple combinations. It was also the first time combos had faced an open water obstacle, and they were now under the stadium lights as well.
Halfway through the event, Germany were still on top, chased by the Americans. But the British had moved into third, up from fifth at the start.
A clear from multi-medalist Marcus Ehning with Coolio 42 and 1 time fault for Sophie Hinners with Iron Dames Singclair kept the Germans ahead of the field. Whilst Harry Charles (LT Holst Freda) and Olympic medalist Ben Maher (Point Break) also posted clear rounds, the USA struggled with a 4 from Laura Kraut (Baloutinue) and a retirement from Katherine Dinan (Out of the Blue SCF).
That opened the door a crack for Belgium in the second half, as fatigue, pressure, and the onset of rain took their toll.
The fences began to come down, setting up steadfast Germany for triumph. But it also turned the leaderboard into a flurry of changes in the rankings, with no clear podium results until Daniel Deusser and Otello entered the ring.
Even though the pair had a fence in hand, the crowd of 40,000 went silent for their ride. A rub on one vertical looked dangerous, but the rail held. They crossed the Longines beam with no penalties, guaranteeing Germany their gold, as the spectators erupted with relief and joy.
Two obstacles down for former World Cup champion Julien Epaillard and Fringan de Vesquerie moved France out of contention and gave Great Britain the silver if they could go clear. A discard score of 15 points from Adrian Whiteway and Chacco Volo put the pressure on after the clears from Charles and Maher.
But like so many others, overnight Individual leader Scott Brash saw the first oxer hit the ground with Hello Mango, giving Belgium a shot at the silver. Thibeau Spits had given them a gorgeous clear aboard Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z, after 8 from Nicola Philippaerts (Kantanga van het Dingeshof) and 4 from Pieter Devos (Casual DV Z).
Following a clear from Italy’s Piergiorgio Bucci and Hantano, which secured them an Olympic berth, Abdel Saïd and Wathnan Quaker Brimbelles Z stayed cool under tension. With a clear ride, he captured the silver for Belgium, pinning Great Britain into third place.
Ending the evening, the penultimate duo American McLain Ward and High Star Hero put forth a clear round that landed the USA in fourth.
And it was a sweet cap on the night for Germany’s Richard Vogel and United Touch S to close out the show for the home crowd. They cleared all the fences, picking up 2 points for time (the team’s discard score), after carefully navigating what had become a more slippery footing in the pouring rain.
When all the points were added up, it was Italy in fifth place, followed by Switzerland, Ireland, France, Denmark, and Sweden, in that order. That means Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland, and France have punched a ticket to L.A. in 2028.
The top 25 finishers from the Team finale will advance to the Individual medal round on Sunday, with scores carried over from Friday night’s performance. Then, the best 12 from Round A will go through to Round B to see whose flags wave at the awards ceremony.
Swiss juggernaut Steve Guerdat and Dynamix de Belheme lead the current Individual standings. They’re followed by Deusser, Maher, Ehning, Hinners, Saïd, Bucci, Colombia’s Robert Teran Tafur (Dez' Ooktoff), Spain’s Armando Trapote (Tornado VS), and Brash in the top 10.
Who will claim Individual gold, silver, and bronze when all the action wraps up at Aachen? The last day of Jumping begins at 14:20 local time.