Werth Aims for Omaha title en route to Tokyo 2020

And while Werth may not be recognized like Usain Bolt, Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and others who have dominated their more high-profile sports, the 47-year-old German Dressage rider — winner of this weekend’s Dressage Grand Prix in Den Bosch in the Netherlands — has won the most medals of any equestrian athlete in the history of the Games.

In fact, the native of the picturesque medieval town of Rheinberg on the banks of the Rhine river near Düsseldorf in Northwest Germany has medalled in every Olympics she has participated in: Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000), Beijing (2008) and Rio de Janeiro (2016). Those triumphs have occurred with top partners such as Gigolo, Satchmo and Weihegold Old. Some of Werth’s other prized mounts over the years have been Emilio, Don Johnson, and El Santo.

Later this month, the World Dressage No.1 will be looking to add another prestigious trophy to her collection at the FEI Reem Acra World Cup Dressage Final in Omaha, Nebraska, in the American Midwest. The Final, which will take place alongside the Longines World Cup Jumping Final, will see 18 horse and rider combinations compete on a rectangular sand arena in the city’s CenturyLink Center.

With her win in the Netherlands on Friday, Werth signalled that she is aiming to take back the Dressage World Cup title which she has captured twice in the past — with Fabienne in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1991/92 and Warum nicht FRH in Las Vegas in 2006/07. Over the years, the German has battled other elite pairs in her sport, including Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, and she will do so once again in Omaha against Dutch Defending World Cup Champion Peter Minderhoud and Glock’s Flirt, who broke Werth’s recent winning streak by taking the Freestyle CDI 5* title in his home country on Sunday.

In Nebraska from March 27 – April 2, Werth, Minderhoud and others will compete in different Dressage ‘tests’, or series of movements which are judged using criteria corresponding to the difficulty of the techniques.

Previously, Werth has stated, ”My home is on the horse. A quiet ride makes me happy.” It could also be said that the Olympics are Werth’s home, and she has declared her ambition to compete at the next Games, in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. At the end of this month, the long journey to the Asian metropolis passes through Omaha.