Suche
Mein Konto
Sensations in equestrian sports: Germany secures third place in the jump-off!
Germany finished on the podium at the 2025 League of Nations Finals, while Kukuk secured gold in show jumping.
Sensations in equestrian sports: Germany secures third place in the jump-off!
It was an exciting day in international show jumping! Great Britain claimed victory in the highly anticipated League of Nations final in Barcelona, while Germany put in a strong fight for the medals. Germany entered the second round as the sixth team and certainly didn't have it easy, overtaken by chasing teams from Ireland and Great Britain.
But what happened? In the second round, five teams were tied on points with Germany. Ireland and Great Britain led with 12 penalty points each, while Germany was in sixth place with 17 penalty points. The German riders, including Hinners and Ehning, had their problems - two drops and a minor time error affected the team. That didn't help, as the USA, France and the Netherlands were just ahead of them with 16 penalty points each. A careful look shows that Belgium, with team European champion Gilles Thomas, didn't get away completely unscathed either and had 18 penalty points.
The stabbing
As the match progressed, there was a dramatic play-off for victory between Ireland and Great Britain. Richard Vogel and his horse United Touch S from Germany also had the opportunity to finish third, but a fall on the last jump put a stop to their plans. Willem Greve for the Netherlands had two interceptions, which ultimately secured third place for the German team.
The jump-off itself was a real thrill: Billy Twomey from Ireland led the way with Jumping Jack van de Kalevallei and completed the course flawlessly in 38.42 seconds. Scott Brash for Great Britain followed suit and triumphed in 38.19 seconds, also making no mistakes. With this victory, Great Britain clinched their first League of Nations final title.
Christian Kukuk's triumph in Paris
The performance of Christian Kukuk, who recently won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris with his horse Checker (by Comme il faut), was similarly emotional! His performance is particularly remarkable because with a flawless time of 38.34 seconds, Kukuk not only secured the first German gold medal in show jumping since 1996, but also the 100th German equestrian Olympic medal. A historic moment for Germany, celebrated with a quiet performance of the national anthem at the award ceremony.
The Olympic Games themselves were tough - only three riders managed to qualify for the jump-off. Unfortunately, Philipp Weishaupt was unable to make it into the medal ranks and ended up in 12th place. Kukuk is the eighth starter and put a lot of pressure on the following riders with his clear round. Maikel van der Vleuten of the Netherlands and Steve Guerdat of Switzerland completed the jump-off, with van der Vleuten taking bronze and Guerdat winning silver.
Overall, a very successful day for German show jumping, which shows all in all how important successes stand against each other and how the German riders shine in all disciplines!