Less than three months after giving birth to her second child, reigning Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl has burst back on to the international competition scene, with a brilliant new freestyle to boot.
Having opened her comeback with a freestyle win on Ferdinand BB in Stadl Paura, Austria, this month, Jessica chose the World Cup qualifier in Lyon, France, to return to the ring with her Olympic and European gold medallist TSF Dalera BB for the first time since winning the World Cup Final in April.
Jessica and Dalera began their campaign with a plus-81% short grand prix win, then debuted their brand new freestyle routine to score a massive 90.14% in the freestyle the following day.
“I’m so, so, so happy to be back,” said an exuberant Jessica after her grand prix. “Dalera felt amazing. We had many highlights and I just love the way of our “silent communication”.”
Jessica gave birth to her daughter, Ella Marie, in August.
The premiere of Jesica and Dalera’s new freestyle, to replace the La La Land routine that had won the pair one bronze and two individual gold medals since 2019, has been much anticipated. It became clear why Jessica had chosen to debut it at Lyon, with the new programme based around the iconic French singer Edith Piaf’s music, which Jessica has said is designed to depict the love story between herself and Dalera.
The emotive strains of Non, Je ne Regrette Rien matched perfectly with Dalera’s beautiful piaffe-passage, which has certainly not diminished in its quality during her time off. Their walk section was to La Vie en Rose, with Padam Padam featuring during the canter tour.
The test, which had the maximum degree of difficulty of 10, was virtually mistake-free, save for a short change behind near the beginning of their canter work. Jessica’s face broke into a huge smile as she concluded the routine with the superb piaffe, before the final halt.
The scores awarded ranged from 87.95% from the French judge Jean-Michel Roudier at B, up to a high of 91.75% from the Dutch judge Mariette Sanders – Van Gansewinkel at M. Four of the five judges had her in the lead – France’s Isabelle Judet at C had eventual runner-up Isabell Werth and Emilio 107 in front. This is the seventh time Jessica and Dalera have broken the 90% barrier in international competition – their all-time best score was 91.75% at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Sweden’s Patrik Kittel got in the way of an all-German top three at Lyon, finishing third with Touchdown, ahead of Jessica’s brother Benjamin Werndl in fourth with Famoso OLD.
You may also be interested in…
‘Every child begins the world again’: Olympic champion gives birth while watching her brother ride at Herning World Championships
Olympic champion ‘denied’ permission to return to competition in maternity leave dispute
‘She leaves her heart in there for us’: Jessica von Bredow-Werndl claims World Cup title on last major outing before baby break
‘The fear of mistakes knocked on my door every day’: Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on the ‘mental toolbox’ that helped her win Olympic gold
Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
