GERMANY’s Christian Kukuk was crowned the Olympic show jumping champion at the Château de Versailles on Tuesday, the final day of equestrian action in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. “It’s the most emotional day in my life,” 34-year-old Kukuk, who rode Checker 47 to victory, said afterwards.

Kukuk’s Olympic medal, the first in his career, marked a clean sweep of the individual gold medals for Germany in all three equestrian disciplines. Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat (Dynamix de Belheme) took his second Olympic medal when winning silver, ahead of The Netherlands’ Maikel van der Vleuten (Beauville Z) who took bronze, just as he did three years ago in Tokyo.

In a thrilling and tough Olympic final, the German was one of only three to jump clear in the final round where course designers Santiago Varela and Gregory Bodo built an enormous track which was 1.60m from the first fence and consisted of 15 fences (19 jumping efforts).

There was plenty of drama throughout the course with two falls – one from favourites Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward. From the first fence, it was up to 1.60m and the first real test came on the line from fence four to the double at five. Fence 5b, which was 1.55m in height and 1.60m wide fell often.

The huge wall at fence nine stood at the maximum height of 1.65m, as did 12b (a vertical after a triple bar double) and fence 13, a tall vertical with a Liverpool. The final fence on a tricky angle was also the downfall of many. Riders reported it was the toughest track they had ever jumped.

However, Kukuk and the wonder 14-year-old grey gelding Checker 47 were the only ones to jump two clear rounds over the course. They were first to go in the jump-off and set the standard when clear in 38.34 seconds. While the time looked beatable, it piled the pressure on the two coming behind him. Van der Vleuten was next to go with the wonderful 14-year-old gelding Beauville Z and they faulted at the first part of the double while also posting a slower time of 39.12 seconds.

Guerdat was last of the three to enter the arena and as the Olympic champion from London 2012, he knew what it takes. With his lovely 11-year-old mare, who is the reigning European champion, they too had a fence down in a time of 38.83 which secured them the silver medal.

Highest honour

“This is the highest you can achieve in our sport. I’m one of only a few calling myself Olympic champion. This is something that will stay forever,” said Kukuk who is based at Ludger Beerbaum’s stable in Riesenbeck, Germany.

“I have to realize that in the next days, there probably is a lot coming up for me, but in this moment, I’m just really, really proud and happy for my horse, my family, my staff, my groom, my whole team around that all of them actually are here and that I can share this moment with them.

“This is also something very special because not many times you have all these people around you at Olympic Games, and I know that this is very lucky, and I really will enjoy this day.”

Kukuk said he felt no pressure going into the ring to jump-off. “I felt zero pressure because I knew, no matter what happens, I have a medal, and that’s already a really huge thing. But I also knew what my horse is able to do and I knew what I’m able to do. We won already two Grands Prix this year, so we are very competitive.

A lion

“I tried to find the balance to not over try it, and to not take the very last risk. But still, I was that quick that I knew the other two would have to take some risks here and there and that’s what happened.

Speaking about his horse who he has been riding for four years, Kukuk said: “He really deserved this medal, he’s the most outstanding horse. He’s a lion in the ring.” He originally came from the stable of Otto Becker, the German team coach.

“Ludger and I went to try him and I said ‘I really want to have this horse, it doesn’t matter how, but I really want him!’ From the first moment, I had a special feeling on him, a feeling that he could do something special. It took a while actually, we always had good results, but in the last year now we knew each other so well and we have created something special.”

Kukuk has been riding at German legend Ludger Beerbaum’s stable since February 2012. Speaking about his boss, he added: “This medal belongs a lot to Ludger; he pushes me in the big moments, he knows me long enough and he was there today telling me I could do it. He knows this situation and he knows what it’s like to win a gold medal, he did it in 1992.”

Bronze Medallist Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) after Individual Show Jumping Final at the Chateau de Versailles for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games \ FEI/Benjamin Clark

Enjoy the moment

For Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, it was a second individual medal at his sixth Olympic Games. He revealed that he wants to remember to enjoy this moment. “I told Christian that the only regret I have from London is that I feel I didn’t enjoy it enough. Life changes after a gold medal, a lot of moments feel like they don’t belong to you anymore,” Guerdat explained.

“But you realise these medals are so hard to win; you have to enjoy because this sport has so many difficult moments and I didn’t do that after London, running from show to show. I have an amazing family, and especially my wife and my daughter. So I’m definitely going spend a little bit more time with them in the coming months.”

For Dynamix, it is a second consecutive gold medal at a major championship after winning individual gold at the FEI European Championships last summer. Guerdat was extremely disappointed after his first round in the team qualifier which ended with eight faults and the team missed out on the final.

However, with fresh legs, she was clear in both individual rounds and just finished with a fence down in the jump-off which Guerdat took the blame for.

“The first day was pretty tough, we were just not really on it. We had a very bad round, not because of the results, but the way the round went made me really sad to show my marae like that. But fortunately, we were able to turn it around and I was able to show everybody how great she is.”

Unbelievable horse

For Dutchman Maikel van der Vleuten, he and Beauville Z have now won three indvidiual bronze medals at three major championships in three years. This bronze medal is added to the bronze in Toyko and the same colour at the FEI World Championships in Herning in 2022.

The Dutch team just missed out of a medal in the cruellest of circumstances in Friday’s team final, so it was redemption for them to get an individual medal.

“It’s unbelievable to be for the third time at a big championship in the top three as an individual and it’s a shame for my teammates, Kim Emmen and Harries Smolders, they jumped a fantastic championships, they also deserve this medal. Unfortunately, we were just out of that top three in a team class, but they also did a fantastic job.”

On the course, van der Vleuten added: “It was so tough in every way. It was big, the jumps were difficult, it was technical and it was very long with 15 fences, so it was hard for the horses. When I came through the finish, I thought he is a world class horse and he deserves this medal.”

After Henrik von Eckermann’s tumble from King Edward, he tearfully explained: “He’s easy to the right and I followed too much to go with him and somehow in one second he went a bit left and I lost my balance to the right. And then he got a bit upset from that and went a bit left again and I really tried to get him right but then the start stands were there and I couldn’t get him in front of that and he turned left and I went right”.

Another tipped for a medal, Martin Fuchs lost a stirrup over 5b and jumped the rest of the round without it, knocking the final fence.

Quotes on the course:

Christian Kukuk: “I think Santi [Santiago Varela] and his team did an outstanding job during the whole week. It was definitely the biggest and toughest course I have ever jumped in my career; that’s what the Olympics are about and that is what you wish for, three clear rounds. What a job from him to get this result. We can be very pleased that we had him here this week. I am just very happy and proud that I am the only one who got a double clear.”

Shane Sweetnam: “It’s the biggest I think I’ve ever seen and then there are 15 jumps which I’ve never seen before. The course designer obviously did a brilliant job, three people jumping for the medals, which is great sport. It was a brilliant track, brilliant course and it’s what you’d expect.”