On the fourth day of the competition, the dressage team won Germany’s second gold medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Isabel Wirth with Bella Rose, Jessica von Prideaux-Wrendel and Daleira and Dorothy Schneider with Showtime beat USA and Great Britain.
Isabelle Wirth won her seventh Olympic gold and is on the verge of setting a record. If she wins the singles final on Wednesday (from 10:30 a.m. CET, TV: ZDF), the 52-year-old will tie the stage with Germany’s most successful Olympic athlete in history, canoe rider Birgit Fischer. Then they will both receive eight gold medals.
Wirth was already smiling in the team final before the score was even official. Together with Schneider and von Bredow-Werndl, she triumphed. “We are a great team,” said Schneider enthusiastically, also praising: “Great horses, great riders!” The 52-year-old rookie jockey, who nearly missed the Olympics due to a fall, put on a solid performance after a minor mis-qualification in the special Grand Prix. With Showtime, she has managed an almost flawless journey and led her team.
Werth fared even better than Schneider with her mare Bella Rose. The world’s most successful rider commented: “I’m totally happy Bella, she did a great job.”
German domination
Schneider and Firth were later able to watch how von Prideaux Werndel idealized the victory as the Third Knight. The 35-year-old kept her cool. The last player on the field drove her mare safely across the ring and made her teammates smile. After a clear win in qualifying this weekend, the entire German national team lived up to high expectations. At the same time, the trio emphasized German dominance in this area. It was Germany’s 14th gold medal at the Olympics. With only one exception, the Golden Team has always been to Germany since 1984.
On Wednesday, German knights will be able to get more precious metals. They are also counted among the top candidates in individual swimming. Werth’s greatest competitor next would be her fellow Bredow-Werndl. “We’ll see what happens,” Wirth said. Jessica von Prideaux Werndel last defeated Wirth at the German Freestyle Championships. More importantly, she also got a better number of points in Tuesday’s Gold Tour.