Steve Guerdat wins the silver medal with the mare Dynamix in the individual competition at the Games in Paris. Olympic champion is the German Christian Kukuk on the gelding Checker.
"Winning an Olympic medal is something very special, now it's my second. It's amazing, I'm so proud of my horse and the whole team," beams Steve Guerdat in an interview with SRF after winning the silver medal. "I was able to prove that I am one of the best and that gold in London 2012 was no coincidence. Now I'm just going to enjoy it and celebrate properly."
Guerdat was one of only three riders to clear the normal course. It was a prelude to the final day, which placed higher demands on horse and rider in the park of the Palace of Versailles than almost ever before in a championship.
Only one trio out of 30 finalists made it to the final - the verdict reflects the difficult task that demanded the utmost from horse and rider in the park, even overtaxing one or two of the duos.
In the jump-off, Guerdat was the last rider to fail at the second-to-last obstacle, a steep jump - the decision was made in favor of Kukuk. The rider in the stables of compatriot Ludger Beerbaum, who is also an Olympic champion, was the only one to complete the shortened task without any faults. The third rider in the group, Dutch rider Maikel van der Vleuten, also had one down with the gelding Beauville.
Twelve years after his Olympic victory in London, Guerdat won his second gold medal under the five rings. Overall, he ensured the sixth Swiss medal win in the individual competition. Kukuk was the first German show jumper to win gold in 28 years, following Ulrich Kirchhoff's triumph in Atlanta.
Reaction of a champion
Guerdat not only rode like a champion on Tuesday. He also showed the reaction of a champion, because five days earlier the mood in the Swiss camp had been completely different. After failing to qualify for the team competition, he, Fuchs and Pius Schwizer had found themselves in a situation that had never been expected. The disappointment was correspondingly (huge).
"Such moments are part of our sport. On the other hand, you can then enjoy successes like this even more. It's an up and down," says Guerdat. "Mentally, it's not always easy. I regret that I didn't enjoy the gold medal in London so much. Now I can promise that I will enjoy this medal all the more."
Fuchs in bad luck
Martin Fuchs, who had also remained clear in the preliminary competition on Monday with the gray gelding Leone Jei, was also on the verge of securing a place in the jump-off. However, the rider from Zurich made a mistake at the last obstacle. Fuchs' performance is all the more remarkable, especially as he slipped out of the stirrup with his left foot shortly after starting his ride - and was unable to correct the mishap.
