Equestrian is a category of horse-based competition with a decorated history at the Olympics. Chariot races and other horse events were part of the ancient Olympic Games from 776 BCE to 393 CE, while equestrianism has been part of the modern Olympic Games since 1912. Dressage, eventing, and show jumping, introduced at the Stockholm Games in 1912, remain the three equestrian Olympic categories. There’s an individual and team event for each category.
Two hundred riders from 49 countries competed in the equestrian events at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Riders from Sri Lanka, Singapore, Latvia, Israel, and Estonia marked their country’s Olympic debut in the sport, highlighting its international growth. However, only eight countries accounted for the 18 medals in equestrian competition. Great Britain led all nations with five total medals, while Germany claimed the most gold.
The following is a look at the gold medal winners in each of the individual and team competitions.
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (Individual Dressage)
Competing in her first Olympic Games, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl won a pair of gold medals, including one in individual dressage. The 36-year-old, riding her horse TSF Dalera to music from the movie La La Land, produced dominant performances in each of the three rounds and sat in first place with an impressive score of 91.732 with Olympic icon and fellow German rider Isabell Werth still to perform. A nine-time world champion with 12 career Olympic medals, including seven gold, Werth and her horse Bella Rose put together a strong run, but it wasn’t enough to top von Bredow-Werndl.
Realizing Werth was the only rider left to compete who could realistically top her score, von Bredow-Werndl immediately broke down and cried tears of joy after seeing the “8” that began Werth’s score. Werth finished second and won the silver medal, while Charlotte Dujardin of Great Britain won the bronze.
Von Bredow-Werndl’s victory signified a passing of the torch in dressage. More than 15 years ago, von Bredow-Werndl began training at Werth’s yard. She spent about five years riding and training under the multiple-time world champion.
“Isabell, she would shout at me a lot,” von Bredow-Werndl recalled. “But one of her riders told me, as long as she shouts at you, she is interested in you. Isabell is an amazing rider and for sure, also an amazing trainer. I’ve learnt so many things from her, just by watching. She’s a genius.”
Julia Krajewski (Individual Eventing)
After winning a silver medal in the team eventing competition at the 2016 Rio Games in her Olympic debut, Julia Krajewski earned her first gold medal with a first-place finish in individual eventing in Tokyo. A 34-year-old native of Langenhagen, Germany, Krajewski made Olympic history by becoming the first woman to win the gold medal in individual eventing. She earned her spot at the top of the podium after her compatriot, two-time defending Olympic champion Michael Jung, broke a frangible pin during the cross-country segment and received 11 penalty points.
Equestrian is the only Olympic discipline in which men and women compete against each other. Women, however, weren’t permitted to compete until 1952, and it took an additional 12 years for the first woman to participate in eventing.
Great Britain’s Tom McEwen won the silver and Australia’s Andrew Hoy earned the bronze. Krajewski recently won silver in individual eventing and gold in team eventing at the 2022 World Championships.
Ben Maher (Individual Jumping)
Great Britain’s Ben Maher, competing in his fourth Olympic Games, won his first individual medal in Tokyo after narrowly edging Sweden’s Peder Fredricson in a dramatic six-horse jump-off. Maher finished the final round in 37.85 seconds, defeating the silver medal winner by 17 hundredths of a second. Maikel van der Vleuten of the Netherlands finished in third for the bronze. Maher last won a gold medal in the team jumping competition at the 2012 London Games. His best individual result prior to Tokyo was a ninth-place finish in London.
Maher’s gold medal victory was all the more impressive considering he underwent major back surgery the year prior. He said his horse, Explosion W, “grew wings” for him and propelled him to victory. Maher has been riding Explosion W, considered the best jumping horse in the world, since 2018.
Germany, Great Britain, and Sweden Win Team Events
The German team, which featured gold and silver individual winners von Bredow-Werndl and Werth alongside Dorothee Schneider, won the gold medal in the team dressage competition. The United States and Great Britain finished second and third, respectively.
Great Britain, featuring Laura Collett, Tom McEwen, and Oliver Townend, won the gold medal in the team eventing competition. Australia won the silver medal and France claimed the bronze medal.
Fredricson, Malin Baryard-Johnson, and Henrik von Eckermann led Sweden to the top of the podium in the team jumping competition. The US and Belgium won the silver and bronze medals, respectively.