Martin Fuchs

Swiss showjumper Martin Fuchs is currently ranked number two in the world and has been selected to represent Switzerland at the Tokyo Olympics. He is the reigning European champion, having taken the gold medal in Rotterdam in 2019 with his long-term partner Clooney 51, with whom he also won the silver medal at the World Championships in 2018.

Born in Switzerland in 1992, Martin was born into a world-famous showjumping family – his father Thomas Fuchs was a two-time Olympian and five-time European team medalist, while his mother Renata was also a top level rider. His uncle Markus won team silver at the 2000 Olympics and acted as chef d’equipe for the Swiss showjumping team at the London 2012 Olympics.

Unsurprisingly, Martin has ridden all his life and was crowned young rider European champion (2012) and won team gold at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010. At his first senior championship in 2015, he came away with the team bronze medal.

Martin Fuchs now runs his stables from Wangi, Switzerland, and in 2020 Martin and his girlfriend, US showjumper Paris Sellon, launched the horse trading business Twin Flame Horses.

“To win Olympic gold” is, unsurprisingly, on his showjumping bucket list. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, he was part of the sixth-placed Swiss team and finished ninth individually.

Martin Fuchs and Clooney 51

Martin says of his top horse Clooney 51, a 15-year-old gelding (pictured below) by Cornet Obolensky who is owned by Luigi Baleri: “He doesn’t do faults. He’s a very clever horse, he wants to leave the jumps up.”

But, says Martin, he wasn’t always an easy horse to deal with.

“In the beginning, he was a bit difficult, but he’s always been a great horse to ride,” says Martin. “When he was eight years old, I realised that he could be a special horse, as he’d often be placed in big grands prix.”

Among Martin’s other top horses at the moment are Chaplin, who famously wore knee-pads when he jumped, and Conner 70, with whom he won the recent grand prix of Dinard.

Martin Fuchs’ major achievements

• Martin became a live contender for the prestigious Rolex Grand Slam when winning in Geneva in December 2019. Martin is also a Rolex Testimonee.
• In 2019 he took the runner-up spot at the World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden, with Clooney 51.
• Martin is currently ranked number two in the world but has recently enjoyed a stint as the world number one.
• He was part of the bronze medal-winning team at the 2015 and 2017 European Championships.
• Martin has been victorious in many grands prix including Zurich, Olympia and Basel.