Christian Kukuk rides footballer Thomas Mueller's horse to end Germany's 28-year Olympic drought in individual show jumping
Picture by Buda Mendes/Getty Images
Olympic champion Christian Kukuk may not be feeling like the king of Versailles yet, but it is just a matter of time.
The German show jumper seized the day in a dramatic jump-off against two Olympic medallists to claim his first Olympic crown, end his country’s 28-year drought of gold in the individual event, and bring his hometown – dubbed the “Equestrian Mecca of Germany” – the sport's top prize.
And like a true king, Kukuk stayed calm throughout – not least of all thanks to the timely advice from Germany’s previous show jumping king, four-time Olympic champion Ludger Beerbaum who was at Chateau de Versailles to support the man who has been working at his stables since February 1, 2012.
"I’m just feeling very emotional, proud, happy of winning this gold medal today," Kukuk told Olympics.com about winning gold. “It is something special. Not many people won a gold medal in show jumping. Only a few and I’m one of them now and this will stay forever and this is incredible, but I need a few more days to really realise it.
“We were struggling with this gold medal. It’s 28 years ago the last one and that’s a long time for such a horse country. I’m happy that I’m the next one and hopefully it doesn’t take 28 years again for the next one, so I’m looking forward for the future.”
Christian Kukuk and Ludger Beerbaum: Learning from the best
Born into a family of riders in Warendorf, Kukuk defied family traditions growing up and opted to play football instead.
His eventual switch to equestrian came by chance when he was 13 years old. There were no football games on the weekends so Kukuk used the free time to help his father at horse shows.
Colourful and passionate, the world of equestrian sport drew the young boy in. Kukuk would find himself analysing other riders' technique and was inspired to try riding himself. Some 10 months later, he made his first jumps.
When he grew up, university studies and office work took Kukuk away from the sport, but with time, he realised that show jumping is what he wanted to do most as a career.
It was time to catch up, and there was only one person who could help Kukuk do it.
After procuring Ludger Beerbaum's phone number through a friend, Kukuk took a leap and gave his equestrian idol a call.
Beerbaum invited him over for a short chat, and on February 1, 2012, Kukuk started working at Beerbaum’s stables.
The first years were rough. Kukuk started from the very bottom and rode seven to eight horses a day starting in the early morning, but the effort ultimately paid off. Three Olympic cycles later, Kukuk was jumping in an Olympic Games final, Beerbaum at his side.
Jumping to Olympic gold on the horse of a football World Cup winner
The Chateau de Versailles has seen its share of historic moments since the once simple hunting lodge was transformed into a palace under the reign of Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King.
On Tuesday 6 August a similar transformation took place with Christian Kukuk. The German rider had flown under the radar at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, finishing off the podium in the team competition and missing the final in the individual event. At Paris 2024, he finished the last day of equestrian competition as an Olympic champion, triumphing under the high-pressure stakes of a three-rider jump-off.
“It’s an experience thing. That time (in Tokyo), my horse was only nine years old so he was very young and this time, Checker is 14 years old," Kukuk said. "He has all the experience you need for this. I got my experience in Tokyo and then the shows after, so everything came together and that’s why we are here now.”
Checker 47 is a horse that is a perfect fit for Kukuk in more than one way. Like his rider, the 2010 gelding has a football connection – 2014 World Cup winner Thomas Mueller is one of Checker's owners, together with German entrepreneur Madeleine Winter-Schulze.
"They have given me the opportunity to keep riding this horse," a grateful Kukuk told German TV station ARD after the final. "I have never seen such a course in my life. It was absolutely crazy, and I am just very happy and proud of Checker how he handled it all.
"In the end it did not feel as difficult as it actually was. That is exactly his quality to be able to deliver when it matters most."
Long live the king: Kukuk emerges as new ruler on Versailles grounds
Kukuk was the 23rd out of 30 qualifiers, but his clear run through the challenging course, which consisted of 15 fences including a triple combination and two doubles, quickly put him among the top contenders.
He would remain in the top three until the final rider.
“It was definitely the biggest and toughest course I've ever jumped in my career," Kukuk said. "(It was) on the highest technical level you can expect. But that’s what the Olympic Games are about."
Only two other riders, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat and the Netherlands’ Maikel van der Vleuten, managed to get through the competition without penalties.
Minutes before Guerdat rode out, there was a shock exit in the competition as world No.1 and Tokyo 2020 champion in the team event Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden was unseated from his horse, King Edward.
One king had fallen. The stage was ready for the next one.
The grounds of Chateau de Versailles were the setting for the dramatic jump-off for gold between Steve Guerdat (L), Christian Kukuk (R) and Maikel van der Vleuten.
With the majestic Versailles Palace in the background, three of the last standing horsemen went into a last chance jump-off on a quest to wear the Olympic crown.
The slowest in the main round, Kukuk was the first to enter the ring. Tensions in the stands were at an all-time high. The flutter of fans was the only movement among the straw hats of the spectators as all eyes were glued to the course, the man in the red jacket and his grey horse.
Kukuk relished the moment, not least of all thanks to his long-time mentor.
“I wasn’t nervous at all," the German rider said. “I have the best (advisor) on my side, that’s Ludger and he gave me all the tips I needed and he could give me. When I went in the jump-off, he said, 'you are the favourite, just do it', and that’s what I did.
"The whole pressure went down for me after the first round and I only enjoyed it. I was so proud for this first run that I told myself, doesn’t matter what happens, everything is a gift in the end, whatever it will be, so I went in the jump-off. I tried to win it, as I always do, but I wasn’t nervous at all.”
As Kukuk cleared fence after fence, the crowds could not contain their admiration any longer. Gasping as one after a particularly difficult jump, they started to cheer, only to be hushed again until Kukuk completed his run.
It was penalty-free and set the time to beat – 38.34.
Next up was the Netherlands’ van der Vleuten. The sound of hooves was audible on the gravel ground as he rode out on Beauville Z, the same horse that the Dutch rider rode at Tokyo 2020 to win an individual bronze medal.
It was a perfect run from van der Vleuten until he came up against the oxer. Both bars flew down, the Dutchman’s hopes of gold dashed.
The crowd's favourite, London 2012 champion Steve Guerdat, then took the stage and the spectators clapped in unison as he rode out on Dynamix de Belheme. The 11-year-old mare hesitated before the second jump, sending shivers through the stands, but Guerdat managed to calm it and continue the run.
From then on, he was racing against the clock to set a time faster than Kukuk’s, but a fallen bar in the second to last jump dropped him into the silver-medal position.
Christian Kukuk salutes the spectators after his win in the jumping individual final at Paris 2024.
No treats for Olympic-winning horses: "They are winners every day"
Kukuk’s win marks the first time in 28 years that equestrian powerhouse Germany won a gold medal in an individual jumping event. The last came at Atlanta 1996 where Ulrich Kirchhoff took the top prize riding Jus De Pommes.
It also meant Germany is the strongest nation in equestrian for a third Olympic Games in a row.
Upon receiving his gold medal, Kukuk raised both arms to salute the cheering crowds, his family members among them. It was an emotional moment in more ways than one.
“Paris is a very special place for me. I have very special memories of this city with my mother who watched from heaven today," Kukuk told ARD. "Something unbelievable happened today. There are very few people who can call themselves Olympic champion. Now I am one of them and that is somewhat crazy but I am looking forward to actually realising it in the coming days.”
When he does, London 2012 champion Steve Guerdat has some words of advice on how to best celebrate an Olympic gold medal – and not make the same mistake he did 12 years ago.
“One of the few regrets I had from London was, probably because everything was new and I was young, running every week from show to show, that I didn’t enjoy enough the gold, so I promised myself and to everybody around me that the next one, I will make sure that I enjoy it a little bit more," the Swiss rider told Olympics.com. "Now it’s here, so it’s time to party and to enjoy.”
The one who will not be celebrating at Paris 2024, however, is Guerdat’s horse Dynamix De Belheme. The athlete has a strict policy of treating all his horses as equals – even on days when one of them wins an Olympic medal.
“Horses don’t know the difference between four faults, a bad day or gold medal or silver medal, so that’s one thing that’s in our philosophy at home, that every horse gets treated exactly the same, every single day, whatever happens," Guerdat explained. "They give so much to us. We owe those animals so much, for they do their job the best they can. When something goes wrong, it’s our fault, so they deserve the best treatment wherever they win or lose. We do it together and they are winners every day."
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