Aachen’s royal history spans centuries, with generations of rulers crowned in the city’s cathedral. On Sunday, the Soers provided the setting for a very different coronation as Steve Guerdat (SUI) and Dynamix de Belheme claimed Individual gold at the FEI Jumping World Championship 2026.
Two flawless rounds carried the pair to a final score of 0.86 penalties and into the history books, with Guerdat becoming the first Swiss athlete to claim Individual Jumping world gold.
Thibeau Spits (BEL) and Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z added Individual silver to the Team silver they had already secured on Friday, finishing on 5.60 penalties.
Harry Charles (GBR) and LT Holst Freda made the biggest move of the day, climbing from 23rd to take bronze on 7.17.
Before another sold-out crowd of 40,000, Guerdat finally claimed the one major honour that, until now, had eluded him. He did so emphatically as the only athlete to complete every round of the week without lowering a single rail.
“It feels amazing,” he admitted. “The World Championship is something I dreamed of. Once I jumped the last fence, all the emotion came up. I don’t really have words for what it means.”
One last test
Twenty-five combinations returned to the Main Stadium carrying every penalty accumulated throughout the week. With two rounds remaining, less than one penalty separated the top five and just 3.94 covered the entire top 10, leaving the title race wide open.
Course designer Frank Rothenberger (GER) presented 13 obstacles and 16 jumping efforts in Round A, with the imposing wall making its first and only appearance of the Championship.
Six combinations jumped clear, but fortunes shifted quickly and even some of the sport’s biggest names were caught out.
At just age 25, Thibeau Spits (BEL) piloted Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z to a silver medal (Cealy Tetley photo)
Home favourites Sophie Hinners (Iron Dames Singclair), Daniel Deusser (Otello de Guldenboom), Richard Vogel (United Touch S) and Marcus Ehning (Coolio 42) all added penalties and slipped down the standings, dashing Germany’s hopes of a golden sweep.
Only the 12 best-placed combinations progressed to Round B, where Rothenberger’s vision for the week came to fruition.
“My idea before we started was that I wanted a good champion, and that they should be the only one to jump five clear rounds,” an emotional Rothenberger explained. “And that happened.”
Only three combinations produced double clears on Sunday and, fittingly, all three finished on the podium.
“I think that was a really good result at the end,” Rothenberger added.
Crowned in Aachen
Guerdat entered Sunday as the only athlete in the Final field with an Individual World Championship medal already to his name, having taken bronze at Tryon (USA) in 2018.
Yet gold remained absent from an extraordinary list of achievements that already included Olympic gold at London (GBR) 2012, Olympic silver at Paris (FRA) 2024, European gold at Milan (ITA) 2023 and three FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final victories.
That changed in Aachen.
When Dynamix de Belheme sailed over the last fence for the second time on Sunday, years of ambition came down to one unforgettable moment. The one major title missing from Guerdat’s remarkable career was finally his.
Guerdat revealed the weight of expectation had followed him throughout the week.
“I was extremely nervous because I thought this might be my last shot at it,” he explained.
“It’s not all the time that you have a horse like Dynamix in this form and everything goes your way. The week has been very, very long.”
Harry Charles had only been partnered with LT Holst Freda for three months, and the pair began the day in 23rd position before two clears rounds landed them the bronze medal. (Cealy Tetley photo)
Winning it in Aachen made the moment even more significant.
“It’s the history of our sport and nothing gets bigger than Aachen,” he shared.
“There is not one day in my life where Aachen doesn’t come to my mind. I don’t think it gets any better than winning the World Championship in Aachen.”
Partners in performance
Behind each medal stood an exceptional equine partnership.
Dynamix de Belheme has now contested three major Individual Championships with Guerdat and returned with a medal from every one: European gold at Milan 2023, Olympic silver at Paris 2024 and now World gold in Aachen.
Her preparation had been far from straightforward, making the 13-year-old mare’s performance all the more remarkable.
“She’s unbelievably smart,” Guerdat explained. “If she didn’t have this quality, this class and this smartness, she wouldn’t have been able, with so little jumping, to perform like this the whole week. She felt today even better than the other days. I have nothing but pride in a mare like this.”
For 25-year-old Spits, silver completed an extraordinary week with Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z.
“I never really dared to dream of it,” he admitted. “I’ll probably never come to a Championship with a horse in such good shape and so talented. He just gives me so much trust. After the Team medal I could enter without pressure and really just try to enjoy today. It’s unbelievable.”
Charles’ journey to bronze was equally remarkable. Just three months into his partnership with LT Holst Freda, the pair began Sunday in 23rd position before two textbook clears carried them onto the podium.
The combination began almost by chance. Freda had originally been considered for Charles’ wife, Eve, but when the opportunity arose to see the mare, Charles and his father travelled to the Netherlands.
“We just stood looking at her in the cross ties and I said, ‘I don’t think you even need to try this horse.’ I was so in love with her already,” he recalled.
What followed exceeded even their expectations.
“We honestly got on really well from day one. She is a freak, the amount of power she can generate and her nature. I’ve never had a horse like her and I might never again,” Charles added.
“She’s the one for the future, and I just want to take good care of her now. She’s strictly for the big, big things in this world.”
A Championship to remember
With the medals awarded and every title decided, Aachen’s impact will remain long after the last horse has left the venue.
Fittingly, in the city where Charlemagne once ruled as emperor, the Championship concluded with a new ruler of the Jumping world crowned.
From the opening speed competition to Friday night’s rain-soaked German Team triumph and Sunday’s battle for Individual honours, the FEI Jumping World Championship 2026 delivered world-class sport, sold-out grandstands and unforgettable moments in the historic Main Stadium.
Aachen welcomed the world home and gave the sport a Championship to remember. For the moments, the magic and the spectacle, Dankeschön, Aachen.
Final results here.
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