Michael Jung wins individual eventing gold at Aachen World Championships, Germany takes team silver

Individual gold for Jung after 16-year wait

Michael Jung won individual gold in eventing at the World Equestrian Championships in Aachen, his second individual world title after Lexington in 2010. Riding the 18-year-old Chipmunk, the 44-year-old German held his nerve in the final show jumping phase to finish on 23.0 penalty points after four competition days and three phases, narrowly ahead of Britain's Rosalind Canter with Graffalo and Laura Collett with London. Jung built his lead in Saturday's cross-country, where he and Chipmunk were the only pair among the top five to complete the 5,600-metre course over 24 obstacles without penalty points. Roughly 35,000 spectators attended the eventing cross-country.

The victory closed a personal chapter from the 2022 World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, where Jung had also led going into the final day but dropped to fifth after two knockdowns with Chipmunk. In Aachen, as the last starter on Sunday afternoon, Jung kept all rails upright, though the poles clattered two or three times as Chipmunk's hooves grazed the wood. Jung and Chipmunk had also won Olympic gold together in Paris in 2024.

Für mich ist er 18 Jahre jung. Man merkt ihm das Alter nicht an, die Begeisterung ist noch voll da, deshalb ist auch nicht ans Ende seiner Karriere zu denken.

After the cross-country, Jung had praised Chipmunk's power over the 24 obstacles.

Er war so kraftvoll. Er kämpft, ergaloppiert, ein unglaubliches Pferd!

Team silver for Germany behind Britain

Great Britain took team gold, host nation Germany silver, and the United States bronze. The German defending champions finished on 90.4 penalty points. Britain's winning score was reported as either 80.5 or 85.0 penalty points, depending on source. The British squad entered the final day with a clear lead despite a fall during the cross-country.

The German team of Jung (Chipmunk), Julia Krajewski (Nickel), Malin Hansen-Hotopp (Carlitos Quidditch) and Libussa Lübbeke (Caramia) competed without team coach Peter Thomsen, who was absent due to a riding accident. Krajewski, the 2022 individual vice-world champion, added four penalty points for a show jumping error to finish 17th individually on 39.6. Hansen-Hotopp placed ninth after 1.2 time penalties. Lübbeke ended her first World Championship 41st on 61.1 after a rail down. Individual rider Christoph Wahler finished 16th.

Ich heule schon die ganze Zeit. Ich hoffe, dem baut jetzt mal einer ein Denkmal.

She was referring to Chipmunk, whom she rode at the 2018 World Equestrian Games before the horse moved to Jung's stable.

Swiss team drops from podium contention

Switzerland's eventing team fell from third to fifth after the show jumping phase. Mélody Johner, Felix Vogg, Robin Godel and Nadja Minder had put the Swiss in medal contention after a strong cross-country, but could not hold their intermediate third place. The team finished on 128.1 penalty points, also behind Ireland. Johner delivered the best Swiss individual result in 18th place.

Dressage: Fry doubles up, Werth takes bronze

In dressage, Britain's Charlotte Fry won both the Grand Prix Spécial among the top 30 pairs and the Kür among the top 18, scoring 91.907 points in the latter to defend her title before nearly 40,000 spectators. No Swiss pair competed in either dressage decision. Germany's Isabell Werth, 57, took bronze in the Kür, her 14th World Championship medal overall, ten of them gold. Werth described her approach as "flight forward and risk, risk, risk."