Steve Guerdat, First Rider in History to Reign Over the Four Majors
By keeping his score of 0.86 penalties right through the final finish line, Steve Guerdat wrote one of the most glorious pages in modern show jumping history. Already crowned Olympic champion in London in 2012, European champion in Riesenbeck in 2023, and a three-time World Cup Final winner, the Swiss horseman becomes the absolute first rider in history to win all four major individual crowns in the discipline. Only the Netherlands' Jeroen Dubbeldam had previously achieved the triple of Olympic Games, World Championships, and European Championships, but the Swiss rider adds the magnitude of his World Cup Final victories, sealing unprecedented consistency and versatility at the pinnacle of global show jumping.
Dynamix de Bélhème, The Masterpiece of French Breeding
This coronation also honors an exceptional broodmare. Born in the Normandy breeding program of Frédéric Aimez, the Selle Français Dynamix de Bélhème was the only horse at these World Championships to jump clean without knocking a single rail all week. Outstanding and incredibly intelligent, the 13-year-old mare followed a tailor-made preparation consisting of four targeted horse shows to overcome minor health setbacks this season. \u201cShe is an exception,\u201d Steve Guerdat confided, full of admiration for his equine partner who achieved the feat of delivering an individual medal to her rider at each of her three championship appearances (European gold in 2023, Olympic silver in 2024, and World gold in 2026).
A Thrilling Finale: Spits and Charles Excel, Favorites Stumble
This Sunday finale, set at 5.3 feet by course designer Frank Rothenberger, delivered relentless suspense and multiple plot twists. Right from the first round, several top contenders saw their podium hopes dashed, such as the refusals encountered by Richard Vogel at the wall with United Touch S and by Ben Maher at the plank with Point Break. During the second round restricted to the top twelve horse-and-rider combinations, Scotland's Scott Brash suffered a heavy fall without injury at the triple combination with Hello Mango, while Italy's Piergiorgio Bucci (Hantano) let the silver medal slip away by faulting on the very last fence.
These setbacks played into the hands of a sparkling young generation. Already team silver medalists on Friday, Belgium's Thibeau Spits delivered two rounds of remarkable precision with Impress-K van't Kattenheye Z (5.60 penalties) to claim the individual reserve world championship title. The podium was completed by Britain's Harry Charles, who rode a breathtaking double-clear Sunday performance aboard LT Holst Freda (7.17 penalties).
Nina Mallevaey in the Global Top 8: Pride and Learning
As the sole French representative starting in this final reserved for the top 25 combinations of the week, Nina Mallevaey defended her standing with great authority in the irons of Dynastie de Beaufour. Delivering a flawless first round, the young rider incurred a single rail at the oxer during the second course to wrap up her championship in eighth place globally (10.93 penalties).
Despite the frustration of a single knockdown keeping her off a reachable individual podium, the leading French competitor appreciates the magic and unwavering dedication of her mare over the most demanding courses on the planet. Nina Mallevaey now intends to draw all possible lessons from this monumental experience to tackle upcoming international competitions with renewed ambition to deliver a medal to her mount.
