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Germany's Isabell Werth has won a record 12 medals over three decades...
Germany is Dressage’s most successful nation and will again look to bring home the biggest prizes from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Germany took both Individual and Team gold at Tokyo 2020, extending their incredible dominance in the Dressage discipline. Isabell Werth was part of the successful German team in Tokyo, setting a new Olympic record along the way. Her triumph came 29 years after her first Games triumph – the longest time between golds in any sport in more than a century of Olympic history!
Werth is equestrian’s most decorated Olympian of all time with an incredible 12 medals, including the Team gold and Individual silver picked up in Tokyo.
She has won seven golds, including her Individual triumph at Atlanta 1996. Amazingly, she has won Team gold in all six Games in which she has competed so far!
As well as the golds, Werth has also won five Individual silver medals.
Barcelona beginnings
Werth’s Olympic career began in 1992 in Barcelona, just as she was turning 23 years old. In Barcelona, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, she was paired with Gigolo FRH in what became one of Dressage’s most celebrated partnerships.
They won Team gold at all three of those Games, doing the Individual and Team double in Atlanta.
Werth did not compete at Athens 2004, but was back in the German team in Beijing four years later. With her latest partner, the charismatic Satchmo, it was back to the top of the podium in the Team event along with Individual silver.
Werth repeated her Team gold and Individual silver successes in her two most recent Games, at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. In Brazil she was partnered with Weihegold Old and they produced their best to ensure the Germans would reclaim their Team title after Great Britain’s success at London 2012. Werth and Weihegold finished second to Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro in the Individual event.
Bella Rose returned from a long absence to be Werth’s partner in Tokyo, and the pair were in superb form. They helped Germany to Team gold and came second in the Individual event behind compatriots Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera.
Paris in mind
It was reported immediately after Tokyo that Werth could retire from competition after Paris 2024. She took a step closer to making the German Olympic team for Paris with a strong performance on Wendy de Fontaine in the Rotterdam leg of the FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ series in June.
With Von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera already confirmed as one of Germany’s Olympic trio, competition is tough for the other two places. But Werth, who will turn 55 in July, is an all-time great Olympian having won all those medals from her early 20s. She has consistently produced her best in the biggest show on Earth having brought through numerous star horses over the last three decades.
Visit our Destination Paris hub to catch up with some of the personalities who will be heading to this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games…
