Germany Win Showjumping World Championships Gold

Vogel Never Needed To Jump

Germany secured gold in the showjumping World Championships team result on 21 August 2026, with the margin comfortable enough that anchorman Richard Vogel did not need to jump his round at all. Daniel Deusser, riding third for the home side at Aachen, went clear on Otello De Guldenboom to confirm victory outright, meaning Vogel's score was never required to settle the outcome.

Germany's team of Marcus Ehning, Sophie Hinners, Daniel Deusser and Richard Vogel topped the showjumping World Championships team standings at Aachen on 4.48 penalties. Belgium's Abdel Sa'id delivered a clear round on Wathnan Quaker Brimbelles Z to secure silver on 11.69, confirming bronze for Great Britain on 12.98, whose team included Scott Brash. The United States, provisional silver medallists earlier in the day, slipped to fourth on 16.85.
"It's not only tonight, this is a result of a long journey for this year, all looking forward to the World Championships here in Aachen," Deusser said. "As Germans, it's an unbelievable show — I can't describe it, it's unique."

Ehning Sets The Tone Early

Marcus Ehning led off for Germany with a clear round on Coolio 42. "My horse was amazing today — I didn't stick to the numbers I want to do in the course between the jumps, but the way he's listening is unbelievable and it's incredible how he's jumped the last three days," he said.
Sophie Hinners followed Ehning for Germany and picked up one time-fault aboard Iron Dames Singclair, a result that did not affect the team score. "I think we enjoyed it a little bit too much in the arena," she said. "It was a little bit unnecessary to have a time-fault, but I'm incredibly proud of him."

Richard Vogel, Germany's anchor, ended his own round with two time-faults on United Touch S, a round that came after the gold medal had already been secured by his three team-mates. Those time-faults left him in 14th place in the individual classification heading into the closing stages of the individual championship.

Scott Brash's four-fault round secured a medal for Great Britain, though whether it would be silver or bronze remained undecided until Belgium's final rider, Abdel Sa'id, had jumped. Belgium's team was completed by Pieter Devos, who had four faults aboard the home-bred Casual DV Z, and Thibeau Spits, who produced a clear round on Impress-K Van't Kattenheye Z.

A Costly Start For The Americans

The United States were the day's biggest movers, having sat in provisional silver position earlier before slipping to fourth by the finish. Lead-off rider Laura Kraut had the middle element of a combination come down aboard Baloutinue, while Katie Dinan rubbed the Lindt oxer with Out Of The Blue SCF before being unable to clear the last element of a later combination and pulling up.

Lillie Keenan added to the US total with faults at the first fence and a further four faults at an upright water tray obstacle aboard Fasther. "The first fault was very uncharacteristic with my horse," she said. "The middle of the course, all the really hard parts, we did pretty well."

Keenan pointed to conditions in the warm-up arena as a factor in her round. "When we went in the grass warm-up, there's no lights," she said. "I was trying to keep the footing the same for my horse because I think that that's fair, but he couldn't really see. So I had a refusal the first fence I went to, which obviously doesn't feel great."
A clear round from McLain Ward aboard High Star Hero was not enough to lift the United States back into medal contention by the close of the team competition, leaving Kraut's and Dinan's earlier faults as the difference between a podium finish and fourth place overall.