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Reigning Olympic champion called up to Paris team slot after individual medal contender withdraws

Pippa Roome Pippa Roome

    • Sandra Auffarth has withdrawn Viamant Du Matz from the German eventing team for the Paris Olympics. The chestnut was not 100% fit on Tuesday evening, at the last health check before moving from the training camp at Deauville to the Olympic site at Versailles.

    Julia Krajewski will be promoted from the alternate spot to compete with Sophia Rössel’s Nickel 21. The rider became the first female to win the Olympic individual gold in eventing when she won in Tokyo on Amande De B’Neville, and she now has a chance to defend her title.

    The German team have lost an experienced combination from their Paris Olympics eventing squad with the withdrawal of Sandra Auffarth and Nikolaus Prinz Von Croy’s 15-year-old Tokyo Olympic veteran Viamant — they were world team gold medallists in 2022 and claimed European individual bronze last year, leading the Germans to team silver.

    Nickel is less experienced at just 10 years old, so the German team have sacrificed some reliability in this swap, but he is potentially brilliant. He and Julia clinched their spot on the squad with a win in the prestigious CCI4*-S at Aachen earlier this month.

    Calvin Böckmann and The Phantom Of The Opera, who were second at Aachen, have been named as the new alternate combination. Calvin, 23, will be the youngest event rider at the Games.

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    Pippa Roome
    Pippa Roome

    H&H magazine editor and eventing editor
    Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
    Pippa Roome

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