Newsletter World Championships Day 5: Bronze for Katharina Hemmer, Course Designer with a Ph.D., Denoix Withdraws from the Freestyle

Today is just like yesterday: decision day. Plus, the biggest athletic challenge of this World Championship is coming up: the cross-country course in eventing. What was already hinted at yesterday became a certainty today. We weren’t the only ones overwhelmed by the many numbers and letters, as well as the green and red colors on the obstacles. The phrase “Ph.D.” is coming up frequently in reference to the course designer. Dr., or Dottore, Giuseppe della Chiesa—essentially “Dr. Kirchen Jupp”—has created something unprecedented in that there has never been a World Championship with two cross-country courses. Of course, the cross-country course is still just one course, but with two routes. Route planning—”turn around if possible”—is not for beginners. It would go beyond the scope of this newsletter to explain all of that again. Anyone who really wants to understand the concept should read the detailed explanation with insights from Andreas Dibowski and Dr. Annette Wyrwoll (including photos of the course) that we’ve put together. Then , while watching on TV or on your laptop , you might be able to appreciate Dr. Kirchen Jupp’s ideas a little better.

Yesterday saw the first individual event of the World Championships: the Grand Prix Special in dressage. The new world champion is the same as before: Charlotte, Lottie, Fry, and Glamourdale. They weren’t among the favorites going in, but they impressed with their performance. The same goes for the bronze medalist: Katharina Hemmer and Denoix were overlooked in the Grand Prix compared to the competition. Yesterday, they showed everyone what they’re made of. A great ride (You can read about the top pairs’ performances again here). Two quick notes: Katharina Hemmer is skipping the freestyle ride because Denoix took a short break during the season. Horsemanship!

I find it just as remarkable how Lottie Fry has improved her riding on Glamourdale. The British rider has always faced some criticism, but she’s refined her riding style, and—in my personal opinion—I’m really looking forward to seeing Glamourdale compete in the 2026 World Championships. I had some issues with her performance at Herning in 2022.

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Here are two quick little anecdotes about dressage: Although calling them “little anecdotes” downplays the situation of Raphael Netz, who also set a new personal best yesterday. Because while every possible accommodation is made for the horses (including on the cross-country course and in the finish area), there was—nothing—for the riders. After his ride He had to go through the media circus—TV stations, radio stations. There’s a tent—stuffy at 36 degrees outside—where the athletes have to stop by after their ride. At the end, the NRH—the Non-Right Holders—are waiting. People like us, who don’t spend any money covering the World Championships. We’re not in the tent; we have to stay outside. No tent, no shade, just a wall covered with sponsor logos. Those would certainly have been put to good use (speaking of which— Moritz Treffinger was there today, too—sending my regards) to use as shade. But I don’t think that would have made anyone very popular. In short: “Raphi” showed up, talked about Camelot, which always gives “even more,” turned pale, and had to sit down. Water for the athletes? Not a chance. It’s great when you have athletic press officers. Sabine Gregg is exactly that—and she’s also pregnant. But despite her baby bump, she sprinted off to get Raphi some water. Hats off to her!

Anecdote number two: Australian rider Simone Pearce hadn’t expected to make it to the freestyle final with her ten-year-old horse, Will Marq. So she traveled to Aachen without a freestyle routine. That meant she had to improvise. She found a freestyle choreographer who’s been putting something together since yesterday. And at a riding stable near Aachen, she borrowed a Grand Prix horse so she could ride the lines once. Let’s see how it turns out.

The same goes for the forest around Hürtgenwald. On our nightly drive to our quarters in Belgium, we saw the sky lit up in a fiery red. It makes you swallow hard. In fact, though, our female colleagues all around us at the press center are clearly more affected. They’re staying in Hürtgenwald. Some of them brought their personal documents and valuables with them to the Soers this morning, just to be on the safe side. Clothes can always be replaced… Even an email from the hotel saying, “We would like to inform you that we are not currently affected by the evacuation order,” may be well-intentioned, but it does leave a bad taste in your mouth (like something burnt?).

Speaking of grilled food—a very good, dear friend of mine from the U.S. received a trip to the World Cup as a gift from her son. Now they’re here and wanted a restaurant recommendation for good German cuisine in Aachen. I wasn’t sure where to turn, but I reached out to a dear colleague at the Aachener Zeitung. Although she’s a longtime Aachen native, she wasn’t sure either, so she had her entire team do some research. Now that’s what I call teamwork—thanks! (If anyone else has any recommendations, feel free to email me.)

Our next episode of the podcast in collaboration with wehore is here!

To help you plan your day: Here’s an overview of the most important times.

9:15 a.m. Start of the cross-country test

10:00 a.m. Libussa Lübbeke with Caramia FRH

11:36 a.m. Malin Hansen-Hotopp with Quidditch K

1:39 p.m. Julia Krajewski with Nickel

2:23 p.m. Christoph Wahler (individual rider) with D’Accord

3:28 p.m. Michael Jung with Chipmunk

7:00 p.m. Start of the freestyle (the list had not yet been published at the time of this mailing).

Finally, a realization: The gods can’t be reporters. Yesterday, Isabell Werth’s and Michael Jung’s start times overlapped. And you certainly can’t accuse either of them of not being quite close to Olympus.

With that in mind—see you tomorrow!

Jan Tönjes

jan.toenjes@equi-pages.de

This is the EQUI PAGES newsletter—sent daily from Aachen during the World Equestrian Games

This text was first published on August 15, 2026.

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