Steve Guerdat is once again the main attraction at the CHI Geneva. The rider from Jura wants to shine twice at his home and favorite tournament with his two top horses.
Both on Friday evening in the exclusive top ten final and on Sunday afternoon in the Grand Prix with prize money of 1.2 million Swiss francs, Guerdat is one of the favorites in front of his home crowd. "These are two very special competitions," says the 2012 Olympic champion ahead of the Grand Slam event in the Palexpo Hall.
The 42-year-old knows how to win in Geneva. He has already prevailed four times in the Grand Prix, although the last time was nine years ago. Twelve months ago, Guerdat completed the treble after his victories in 2010 and 2018 in the top 10 final of the ten best riders in the world rankings, with prize money of over 500,000 Swiss francs.
Olympic mare as a trump card
As in the previous year, Guerdat, currently number 2 in the world rankings, will once again saddle up his gelding Venard for the top 10 final. With Martin Fuchs, a second Swiss rider will have the opportunity to present himself in the illustrious circle on Friday evening. The rider from Zurich, winner of the Geneva Grand Prix in 2019 and 2021, will be the first reserve rider after the withdrawal of Irish rider Conor Swail, who lives in the USA.
On Sunday, Guerdat will take Dynamix, his best horse, out of the stable. In the saddle on the eleven-year-old mare, he rode to Olympic silver in the Palace Park of Versailles in the summer and became European individual champion with her for the first time in 2023. "She's my best trump card at the moment," says Guerdat.
Reset button pressed
Although he is not hiding his ambitions to win in Geneva, Guerdat admits that he felt a little Olympic blues after the Summer Games in Paris. "It may sound a bit negative to talk about the blues, and it's not even necessarily negative, but whether you like it or not, there is a before and an after the Olympic Games," says the Frenchman, who completed his Olympic medal set this summer after winning team bronze in 2008 and the individual Olympic gold medal in 2012.
"When you get home after the Games, when the pressure eases and you start to feel a bit tired, you press the reset button and everything starts all over again," he continues.
But how do you manage to keep your motivation up? "I'm lucky in that I really love what I do. First the horses, then the sport." Riding is what cheers him up in moments like these, says Guerdat. "What brings me the most good vibes and the most happiness is my family, my wife, my daughter and my horses."
This weekend, he wants to set the Palexpo Hall in Geneva buzzing with positive vibes with strong performances and once again prove his great class in front of his home crowd.
