Ingrid Klimke will not ride at the Tokyo Olympics this summer after suffering “a serious chest injury” in a fall at Baborówko, in Poland, last weekend.
“The operation in Münster went well and now I need rest and time to heal,” said Ingrid in a statement on her Facebook page. “I am very sad that my biggest dream – to take part in my sixth Olympic Games – has come to an end. Defending our title at the European Championships in September is our next big goal!”
Ingrid had already withdrawn one of her potential Tokyo horses, SAP Asha P, from contention due to an injury, but still had her double European champion and world individual bronze medallist SAP Hale Bob OLD in the running for the Olympics – he was in the lead after dressage and cross-country in the CCI4*-S at Baborówko, but was withdrawn after Ingrid’s fall in the earlier CCI3*-S from reigning world six-year-old champion Cascamara.
Ingrid Klimke: Tokyo Olympics news breaks 18-year run
The last time a German senior eventing team went to a championship without Ingrid Klimke was at the European Eventing Championships in Punchestown in 2003.
The news will be a blow to the Germans, who would at the start of the year have started the Olympic eventing in Tokyo as one of the favourites for the team gold. But this news on the back of Julia Krajewski retiring Samourai Du Thot will certainly affect their medal chances.
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Julia may well still ride at the Games on Amande De B’Neville, who recently won the CCI4*-L at Saumur. Double Olympic champion Michael Jung is considered a shoe-in for the team, while the news about Ingrid brings the likes of Sandra Auffarth (Viamant Du Matz and Let’s Dance 73), Anna Siemer (FRH Butt’s Avondale) and Andreas Dibowski (FRH Corrida) into focus for the third team place, as well as the alternate spot (the fourth squad member who will travel to Tokyo and can be swapped into the team through the competition).
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