There’s something really, really special about the final day of an eventing competition.
A collective sense of anticipation, optimism, and most definitely anxiety awaits both riders and supporters alike, and as the fans of this one-of-a-kind experience, we get to share in all those feelings too.
It’s even more unique when it’s an Olympic or World Championship that we only get once every two years. So we channel all our hopes and wishes and dreams into four horse and rider combinations, four days, three phases of competition, and ultimately… one afternoon that will leave us all with a definitive outcome and feeling.
It’s honestly exhausting! Between the constant mental calculations, refreshing of live scores, chatter of updates and information: what placings does team qualification for LA go to again?! and the mere anticipation of seeing our champions before our very own eyes, it’s all-consuming.
I’ve spent the past five days with a group of avid eventers from Australia, New Zealand and America (we may even count one as ‘temporarily English’ when she decided to pledge allegiance, even if just for the one afternoon to the Brits), and spoken with fans from most other countries throughout.
They all started the week with the shared hope of something extraordinary happening. No one will name the actual thing we want most for the country whose flag we each wave with absolute vigour at every opportunity possible. No one actually said, we hope our team wins the gold medal. It’s obviously what we’re all dreaming of, but an eventer is not that audacious. We won’t say the thing out loud; that might jinx it.
So, we just go back to the hoping and dreaming and wishing part I mentioned earlier – and then we go to the adjusting our expectations part, and back that option so fervently that you’ll think that’s what we wanted all along.
Because that’s what an eventing championship requires of its fans – pivot to the best possible outcome and commit to it.
For the Kiwis on the bus Sunday morning, that meant knowing exactly where team placings went to in order to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in LA. This was a totally altered hope from Thursday evening, where they weren’t at all concerned about an LA qualification because that would be the least important thing to mention if they in fact maintained their very provisional gold medal position after the first day of dressage.
But then cross country came and went, and they had a new mission: Qualify for LA.
New Zealand qualifies
Thankfully for Sue and Kaye (aforementioned Kiwis on the bus), New Zealand did just that, with two polished clear rounds from both Jonelle and Tim Price, and three rails from Monica Spencer added to their score, they secured sixth place in the team placings, an LA qualification, and a sigh of relief for New Zealand.
America rises to bronze
For the Americans on the bus, their focus was on the three remaining team horses to make it through trot up so they could complete the team competition. With a guaranteed qualification to LA as the next host nation, they at least had one less thing to worry about. Placed outside of the medals overnight, the hope was lingering, but not something to completely latch on to until it was clear how other nations were faring throughout the afternoon. But with the Swiss and Irish teams collecting penalties and losing footing on the podium, the next mission was confirmed: maintain this newfound bronze medal position. With a clear round each from Phillip Dutton, Boyd Martin and Will Coleman, it was mission accomplished. Therefore, a medal for team USA and all the appropriate cheering that goes with it from the fans. At this point it would be remiss of me not to mention that before we let the American fans bask in the glory of their new hardware, there were a few quips about how many Australian riders and Australian produced horses there were on the team, and wondered aloud if that should earn Australia a sort of qualification by proxy? Apparently, it doesn’t.
Following the cross country, Australian fans had already diverted their support from team focus to individual champions and instead started to query and plan how we’re going to attain that LA qualification, and then envying those who already had one.
Of all the fans from many nations that filled every seat in the main arena at Aachen this afternoon, one country got to experience the thrill of watching their team take the World Championship title, or in this instance, retain it.
Gold for Great Britain, again
Great Britain yet again showed the world just how formidable they are in the eventing discipline, confirming that they’re still the World Champions following their wins at Tryon (2018) and Pratoni (2022).
With the same three riders and horses that won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics completing the competition for today, there was never a doubt Great Britain could win, only the question of by how much?
Rosalind Canter and Lordships Graffalo, Laura Collett and London 52, and Tom McEwen and JL Dublin added only two rails and 3.2 cross country time penalties to their team total throughout the Championship. That’s just 11.2 penalties between them, and a new record for the lowest winning score at a World Championships – ever.
Literally and figuratively, this is the golden era of British eventing.
Silver for Germany
The German team had certainly hoped to catch up to Great Britain but instead maintained their silver medal position, and in doing so retained their runners-up title from Pratoni in 2022.
Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K incurred only 1.2 showjumping time penalties to their final score, showing strength and dependability at the level for their World Championship debut. Julia Krajewski and Uelzener’s Nickel had one rail down, which was possibly not even their most stressful moment of the day, having been held and then accepted at this morning’s trot up.
It’s probably no secret what round Michael Jung produced, but you’ll have to read on to find out exactly.
Great Britain now holds the current Olympic and World Championship titles and inspires and challenges other nations to even slightly orbit their success looking ahead to the LA Olympics in 2028.
In the meantime, all eventing fans of any nation can not only envy but marvel at their success, and hope that one day its theirs too.
Of the 65 combinations that completed course designer Giuseppe della Chiesa’s course yesterday, six were withdrawn, 59 were presented at the final veterinary inspection, and all were accepted to move onto the final phase in the main arena on Sunday afternoon.
The main arena at Aachen is big – it’s a long way from one side to the other, and the showjumping course had a fence in every corner, every straight, and multiple in the middle. Long, with many curved lines, three doubles, a hair-pin turn, and a time only achieved by 13 combinations, it was built to challenge, keep riders guessing and build the suspense until the very last fence of the final rider…
Third time’s a charm as Michael Jung claims individual gold
As the saying goes, third time’s the charm. Or, in German: das dritte mal der charme.
I’m unsure if that’s actually a saying in the German language, but it’s applicable in the German camp, because they’ve finally reigned victorious in the individual results at the World Championships and equally as thrilling, beat the British to do it.
The latter element there is important, not only due to the clear contention for top honours at major championships between Britain and Germany, but because the last two World Championships have had a German holding the lead into the last phase, only to knock the last rail and reluctantly hand the gold to a British rider.
At Tryon in 2018, Ingrid Klimke saw the last fence fall and Ros Canter claim the win, and in Pratoni 2022, Michael Jung took the last, and unwillingly handed the world champion title to Brit Yasmin Ingham.
But not on Sunday. Michael Jung held his overnight lead and long-awaited return to the World Champion title. Though there have been opportunities since, and many other major accolades in between (including three Olympic gold medals), the last time ‘The Master’ actually boasted the World Champion title was 16 years ago, with La Biosthetique Sam in Lexington, USA.
Sunday afternoon, in front of a 30,000 strong crowd of eventing enthusiasts, and with many more watching globally, he jumped a perfect clear round aboard fischerChipmunk FRH and returned to the highest step on the podium.
And if jumping last isn’t pressure enough, he did it on home ground and carried literal hopes and figurative rides of thousands of German fans. In addition to that, Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo denied him even an ounce of breathing room, having laid down a brilliant round clear of jump and time penalties, and therefore sitting just 0.4 penalties behind.
A clearly ecstatic and emotional Michael gestured towards his horse as he completed the round, whilst the host nation collectively sighed relief and then absolutely erupted – there really is nothing like a win in front of a home crowd.
Whilst the crowd had a lot to say, Michael himself was speechless. “This horse is unbelievable. He’s careful, athletic, powerful, he’s so nice to ride, I’m so thankful. This is unbelievable,” he said.
Laura Collett and London 52 added to their championship individual bronze collection today, matching their placing from Paris 2024. A rail and 0.4 of a time penalty didn’t alter their position on the leaderboard.
Australian successes
With the Australian team out of contention, the Aussie fans’ cheers were rerouted to our individual riders.
Olivia Barton and APH Sodoku completed their World Championship debut in 48th position with four rails in the final phase.
Impressive list of unofficial accolades for Sophia and Hughie
Sophia Hill and Humble Glory closed out their World Championship debut in spectacular form, with a clear and fast round to not only finish in 14th place, but in doing so claimed the following unofficial, but officially incredible accolades:
- Fastest showjumping round (84.11 seconds)
- First to make the optimum time on cross country day (9 minutes 45 seconds)
- One of only six riders to make the optimum time cross country (from a field of 87 starters)
- Most placings climbed on the leaderboard (68th position to 14th – 54 places)
Perhaps the most impressively, Sophia and Hughie were of only four combinations to finish on their dressage score. A small club indeed, and in the very best of company (Michael Jung, Ros Canter, and Will Coleman).
Just like her ascent up the leaderboard, Sophia Hill’s star is on the rise.
Top ten finish for Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos
Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos were the final Australian combination to finish their World Championships campaign in the electric Aachen arena.
If you’ve ever seen Andrew ride in person, you’ll notice an aura of calm that resonates with each horse he’s sat upon, and none more so than his adored Vassily, even in an atmosphere heaving with possibility.
“Aachen is always so special. It’s the crowd that make it,” he said.
The image of synchronisation, they breezed the course that was influential in both time and jump penalties, to be clear of any themselves. “I describe it as a privilege to ride a horse as good as [Vassily] is. He was just amazing. [The result is] a culmination of many people around me, it’s not just ‘Andrew Hoy’.”
With years of anticipation, months of build-up, and days of anxiety-riddled hope, the 2026 World Championships for eventing are now complete.
Eventing fans will now enjoy some brief days, possibly even weeks of joyful reminiscing before we look forward to the next major championship and start formulating those hopes and dreams yet again… we’ve already set our expectations back to fully optimistic, totally ambitious: we want that gold next time.
Watch the action from the FEI World Championships here via ClipMyHorse.TV.
