Vaulting Stars Descend on Aachen

From August 13-16 at the FEI Vaulting World Championship in Aachen, GER, Vaulting will take place in the atmospheric Stadium 3, which has been transformed from an outdoor Dressage arena to a covered Vaulting stage. Four years after the Championship were held in Herning (DEN), a new group of champions is set to emerge with. current World Cup Champions facing European Champions, rising stars and returning contenders.

A wide-open race for the Female Individual title

After three competition tests, the Female Individual competition will produce the first champions, receiving their medals on 15 August. Current double European Champion, Germany’s Kathrin Meyer, 25, is hoping to take her first World title in what is expected to be her final competitive season. With two CVI wins this year and competing together with her trusted partners, Capitain Claus and lunger Gesa Bϋhrig, she enters the competition as the favourite. Her strength of body and mind has been tested at the highest level, and a World Champion title is the only major one missing from her collection.

Her greatest challenge could come from teammate Alice Layher, 24. Layher defeated Meyer to win the FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final title in May, but the pair have been trading places at CVIs throughout the year. Layher won the Young Vaulter World Championship in 2023 and took home the bronze medal at Senior level in 2024, so she is no stranger to the pressure of competing for a major title. Known for presenting innovative exercises in her programs, she will compete with FBW Candy and Daniel Zembrot, the combination that won the World Cup Final. Germany has not won this title since 2018, and either Athlete would be a worthy winner. The competition could ultimately be decided by the quality of the horses and their ability to perform under pressure in such a magnificent stadium.

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The other competitors will not be overlooked, and the medals are far from decided. Danielle Bϋrgi represents Switzerland’s strongest chance in the Female Individual competition. She has remained close behind Meyer and Layher throughout the season and, despite being unable to compete with her first-choice horse, has developed a strong connection with Soel’rings Milllion Voices and lunger Pauline Riedl.

Canadian athlete Averill Saunders, who won the Young Vaulter silver medal in 2023, will be hoping to add further silverware to her collection. She will face competition from fellow North American Athlete Kimberly Palmer (USA) who has steadily progressed over the last few years and will be looking to improve on her 5th place best finish, achieved in 2022.

Oceane Gehan is a strong contender for France. Competing at her first Senior Championship, she has already demonstrated considerable mental strength and ability and certainly will be one to watch. Another Athlete making the transition to the Senior level is Denmark’s current Junior World Champion, Josephine Vedel Sondergaard Nielsen. She has made the jump to Senior level this season purely to compete in Aachen.

Jabet leads a strong Male Individual competition

In the Male Individual competition, Frenchman Quentin Jabet will undoubtedly be the man to beat. With two European titles and two World Cup victories, he will be targeting the top step of the podium. He won’t compete with his equine partner of the last two years, Othello Van’t Laarhof, but instead will compete with Estado IFCE, and lunger Loic Devedu. Estado won the title four years ago in Herning with Lambert Leclezio and has now returned to give Jabet the opportunity to follow in his compatriot’s footsteps. None can deny the strength of this new combination.

Germany’s Thomas Brϋsewitz won the World bronze medal in 2018 and the silver medal at the European Championship in 2015 in Aachen, as well as finishing second to Jabet at last year’s European Championships. As the home favourite, he has the results and experience that speak for themselves, but finishing ahead of Jabet will be a demanding task.

His teammate Bela Lehnen could also challenge for a medal. They will face strong competition from Jabet’s teammate Ruben Delauney who has shown excellent form this season. Austria’s Philip Clement finished third at the 2025 European Championships and was Young Vaulter World Champion in 2022. He has the quality to contend with Jabet and Brϋsewitz for the top steps of the podium. Sam dos Santos (NED) has also thrown his name into the ring despite still being eligible to compete in the Young Vaulter category. With composure and well executed tests he too could compete for a top-three finish.

Germany and France set for a team showdown

The squad competition will feature 16 teams.. Germany’s team Norka has dominated the competition over the past five years and will benefit from home advantage as it attempts to retain the title. Their toughest competition is likely to come from France, who have pulled together a squad of their best individuals to take that medal home.

Following a late substitution due to injury, four-time World Individual Champion Lambert Leclezio, who had previously retired, has joined the French squad. His experience and ability should strengthen France’s compulsory score, and could make the competition between the two leading nations even closer. Austria and Switzerland can hope to battle it out, perhaps for bronze, but might also have to fend off a young Swedish squad and a strong team from Italy.

New Pas-de-Deux pairing aims for history

The Pas-de-Deux is always an awe-inspiring competition. With only two tests, both Freestyle’s, the margin for error is minimal and execution is crucial. The new Pas-de-Deux pairing on the scene, Theo Gardies and Noely Thibaut, are strong contenders for gold. Their season has been outstanding, and a victory in Aachen would make them the first French champions in the discipline. They will compete aboard Gardies’ 2022 Individual Gold medal winning horse, Sir Sensation, with Sirine Abousaid as their lunger.

They will face the 2025 European Champions, Italy’s Rebecca Greggio and Davide Zanella. The two pairings have not competed against each other this season, adding further intrigue to the contest. Greggio and Zanella however have not been fortunate this year. They have experienced difficulties this year, including changes involving their horse. They have entered with a new horse-and-lunger combination, Malleret Romulus TS and Maud Bousignac Dumont. As the combination has not yet competed together, their preparation will be closely followed. Any further change of horse would also be subject to the horse being included on the official entry list.

Germany will be represented by two championship debutants partnerships Kimberly Hyks and former individual competition stalwart Jannik Heiland alongside Philine Lindhorst and Cjell Aaron Richert. Both duos have the ability and quality to challenge for a medal in front of the home crowd. FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Champions Céline Wilde and Romy Schiess will make their Championship debuts. A medal for Switzerland would be a significant achievement, but it is certainly within their reach.

Nations Team competition set to provide a thrilling finale

The final competition will be the Nations Team competition, in which one squad and two individuals Athletes from each nation will perform their Freestyles in pursuit of the title. As in several recent World Championships, the contest could develop into another France-versus-Germany battle. Switzerland may hold the advantage based on recent form, while Austria or the USA will also be aiming to challenge for the third place.