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LAUSANNE, July 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After Germany's Michael Jung won the second of his two consecutive Individual Olympic Equestrian Eventing titles at Rio 2016 he was asked what he had next in his sights. "Tokyo 2020 of course, and the Europeans and maybe the world title along the way!", he replied.
He wasn't joking of course, because the 38-year-old who made Eventing history by becoming the first to hold European, Olympic and World Championship titles at the same time is one of the most formidable athletes in all of equestrian sport.
He didn't make it to the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in 2018 when his horse had an injury, but at the FEI European Championships the following year he took team gold and was just pipped for the individual title by team-mate Ingrid Klimke.
This is a man who sets the bar really high for everyone else, and if he can do the individual hat-trick in Tokyo then he will set a new Olympic record. Charles Pahud de Mortanges (NED) came out on top in Amsterdam 1928 and in Los Angeles 1932, and Mark Todd (NZL) won in Los Angeles in 1984 and in Seoul in 1988. Both riders partnered the same horse on each occasion, the Dutchman riding Marcroix and the Kiwi riding the legendary Charisma.
Jung also partnered the same horse, the mighty Sam, when coming out on top at London 2012 and Rio 2016. This time around he will ride his 2019 European Championship horse Chipmunk, and the world waits to see what more magic he can bring.
He'll be joined on the German team by two of the three athletes who helped clinch team silver in Rio, Sandra Auffarth (Viamant du Matz) and Julia Krajewski (Armande de B'Neville). However it is the French who line out as defending team champions, with Thomas Carlile (Birmane), Nicolas Touzaint (Absolut Gold HDC) and Christopher Six (Totem de Brecey) flying the flag for Les Bleus.
The British arrive as reigning world champions and with the world number one, Oliver Townend (Ballaghmore Class), number five Tom McEwen (Toledo de Kerser) and number 22, Laura Collet (London 52) in their side, backed up by last-minute replacement reserve Ros Canter with Allstar B, the horse she rode to individual gold at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018.
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