You don't have to be a mathematician to calculate which team in Tokyo would have to win the gold medal in dressage on paper.

Germany, of course, as always since 1984, with a single interlude in 2012 in London.

One look at the world rankings is enough to assess the ambitious trio: At the top is Isabell Werth with Bella Rose, in second place Jessica von Bredow-Werndl with Dalera - and Dorothee Schneider is fourth with Showtime only because Isabell is in third place Werth pauses with another horse, namely Weihegold.

Evi Simeoni

Sports editor.

  • Follow I follow

There is no need to tell these riders that anything other than the Olympic victory would be a disappointment on all sides.

You are burning with ambition and will give your all.

“There are clear expectations that we also have of ourselves,” says Isabell Werth.

Especially since it is clear to the riders that not only the competition, but also the world association FEI would like to end the German dominance.

To this end, he allied himself with chance and increased the importance of bad luck.

Because the FEI reduced the equestrian teams at this tournament to three in all three disciplines and thus abolished deleted results, every mistake and mishap is now mercilessly punished.

"Everyone needs a bit of luck when it comes to the sausage," says Monica Theodorescu, the national trainer of dressage riders, in her always positive manner. This of course also applies to the main competitors of the Germans, the teams from Great Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands and the Netherlands United States, applies.

Complicated mode

Isabell Werth becomes clearer: "It only takes a stupid event to happen and the team burst." Sometimes fluttering flags or a blown flower pot are enough to irritate a horse for a long time.

There is almost an advantage in the absence of spectators.

In addition, the tea house decoration does not seem to worry the horses much.

"The stadium is decorated very horse-friendly," says co-national coach Johnny Hilberath.

Another purpose of the prank exercise is to bring more nations to the start without increasing the specified athlete quota, which has been successful.

The number of dressage teams rose from 11 in Rio 2016 to 15, the number of nations from 25 to 29. The Grand Prix on this Saturday and on Sunday serves to qualify for the team and individual finals.

There is one special feature that is reminiscent of the group stage of the European Football Championship: the field is divided into six groups with ten pairs.

The best eight teams qualify for the team decision in the Grand Prix Special on Tuesday.

The two best of each group will certainly reach the individual finals, the freestyle with music on Wednesday, plus six lucky losers.

Too complicated?

If you want to win, you must stop worrying about the meaning of the mode.

On this Saturday, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl wants to set her first exclamation mark with Dalera in the Grand Prix (2.42 p.m. CEST in the FAZ live ticker for Olympia, on ZDF and on Eurosport), the next day Isabell Werth and Dorothee Schneider ride.

In the fight for the individual medals, the German Amazons are among the main competitors.

In addition, the British defending champion Charlotte Dujardin, who did not travel to Tokyo with her top horse Freestyle, but with the gelding Gio, the Dane Catherine Dufour with Bohemian and the Dutchman Edward Gal with Toto, a descendant of the famous Totilas, the rider once had to deliver to Germany.

The pain of parting was great.

Bella Rose fit again

For Isabell Werth, who has been 52 since Wednesday, a heartfelt wish has already come true: to come to the Olympic Games in Tokyo with Bella Rose, this very special mare.

After a three-and-a-half year injury break, she brought the chestnut mare back into the sport, becoming double world champion in 2018 and three-time European champion in 2019.

Since then, she has only played the inevitable qualifying tournaments for the Olympics.

Isabell Werth knows that she has to carefully divide the strength of her 17-year-old horse, and so the performances in Mannheim, Balve and Kronberg, from the "cold start" to the warm-up phase to the dress rehearsal, are not a real indicator of what is to come. Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, who has beaten the queen couple twice this year with almost perfect rides, could dispute her individual victory, but not only her.

"The Olympic Games have their own laws," says Isabell Werth. “And since I've been there for a few days, I won't let myself be put under pressure.” She has already shed rivers of tears of joy in front of the Olympic backdrop. And also have to experience how your horse froze in the middle of the exercise and no longer wanted to continue. Over all the ups and downs of her long career, she became the most successful rider in history, she won ten Olympic medals, six of them gold, but this never becomes routine.