Four weeks ago, show jumper André Thieme sat at the airport in Tokyo and hung his head.

His Olympic debut had gone completely wrong and the whole effort seemed pointless to him in retrospect.

He sadly suggested to national coach Otto Becker that he should better nominate another couple at the home European championships in Riesenbeck than him and his mare Chakaria.

He wanted to take a break to reflect and only start again at the next CHIO in Aachen.

Becker said: "You'd better do it the other way around, start in Riesenbeck and forego Aachen."

Evi Simeoni

Sports editor.

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That was the right advice. On Sunday evening, André Thieme left the Tecklenburger Land with his head held high as European champion, and he won the gold medal with the silver medal from Friday in the team competition. With that he got into the car and hurried home, to Plau am See, to his homeland Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. No matter what time, as he said, his friends and followers expected him there. He is the first German championship rider from the new federal states and consequently also the first European champion in show jumping from there. And in fact, 32 years after the fall of the Wall, it is still something special. "It's a shame that I still have it so far," he said full of anticipation.

After the second final round on Sunday, Thieme was still very excited.

He had to be 46 years old to get to that point with a world class mare under the saddle who fought for him to the last jump.

Chakaria is fox red, eleven years old and comes from Brandenburg.

"I am blessed with this horse," said Thieme when he began to cool down again after a nerve-wracking final round in which he had to endure more pressure than ever in his career.

He took the lead in the first round, but experience shows that in the difficult final round of a title fight, even couples who were previously thought to be sovereign suddenly make mistakes.

"I was aware of that"

Sometimes because the rider's nerves don't hold up, sometimes because the horse gets tired. And sometimes because the course has a surprising trick in store, like the play between light and shadow this time. And obstacle five out of ten, an extremely tricky triple combination with two steep jumps and a subsequent oxer. And really: The Swiss Martin Fuchs, who previously bet the highest, had a threefold drop with his gray gelding Leone Jei and another mistake.

The next favorite, the Swede Peder Fredricson with the gray Catch me not, wanted to divide the way to the threatening triple and made his mistake before, at jump two, plus a very painful penalty point for exceeding the time. As a result, Endereiter Thieme was in the favorable position of being able to afford an obstacle error in his round on the way to gold. "I was aware of that and I was able to ride confidently," said Thieme.