CCIO4*-S NC Avenches (SUI): Christoph Wahler Dominates Final German World Championship Qualifier; Michael Jung/Chipmunk and Julia Krajewski/Nickel in Good Form

Christoph Wahler won the CCI4*-S in Avenches, Switzerland. Riding D’Accord FRH, the 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Diarado, he held onto the lead he had established after the cross-country phase through the final show jumping round as well. After a knockdown at the end of the course, four penalty points had to be added to his score. But with 30.3 penalty points, the third-place finisher at the German Championships in Luhmühlen took the lead in the field.

Avenches – Final World Championship Tryout for Team Germany

59 pairs completed this competition, which served as the final qualifying event for German riders heading to the World Championships in Aachen. Wahlers’ Hanoverian had been injured last fall in Boekelo. He made his season debut in Luhmühlen and now appears to be back in top form just in time for the World Championships in Aachen.

Two Podium Finishes for Christoph Wahler

For Christoph Wahler, the trip to Switzerland was a double success: Riding the French gray Gainsbourg de Bedon—who has been in his stable for just under a year—he also took third place. Early in the course, at jump three, misfortune struck. A rail rolled off the support. But all subsequent jumps in the course went extremely smoothly. In the end, they finished with 34.9 penalty points—earning third place for this pair.

Second place went to Switzerland’s Felix Vogg, whose mother, Danièle, is one of the driving forces behind the tournament in Avenches. Vogg rode the now 18-year-old Westphalian Colero by Captain Fire, also finishing with one knockdown at jump three. With 33.8 penalty points, the 2022 Luhmühlen champion secured second place. This also sealed the Swiss team’s victory. Together with Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH (35.8/4th), Melodie Johner and Erin (36.3/5th), and Angelika Dubach with Felin de Chignan (discarded result, 44.5/17th), the hosts’ victory was never in doubt.

German Nations Cup Team Finishes Second in Avenches

Germany finished second in the Nations Cup standings. Christoph Wahler and D’Accord were part of the team. In addition to Christoph Wahler and Arne Bergendahl/Bronco NRW (36.5/6th), European Team Champion Libussa Lübbeke with Caramia FRH and Antonia Baumgart with Ris de Talm. Lübbeke finished the competition in 20th place with 45.6 penalty points. Two knockdowns on Sunday prevented her from achieving an even better placing.

Antonia Baumgart had 49.4 penalty points; she, too, had two knockdowns and finished 27th in the overall standings. Germany finished second with 112.4 penalty points. The Netherlands came in third with 121.3 penalty points.

Two of the three potential World Championship pairs are competing

Many of the combinations from the German long list competed in Switzerland. Three pairs had been deliberately left off the team and were entered more or less as a final test of their form: In addition to Julia Krajewski’s 2026 German champion, Uelzener’s Nickel, there were also Olympic champions Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH. The third member of the group who “only” would have had to ride at the event was the runner-up at the 2026 German Championships, Malin Hansen-Hotopp. Her gray horse, Quidditch, was also in good shape, but the rider was not. Before leaving Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, she came down with a gastrointestinal infection.

Quidditch to Test Form on Monday in Warendorf

Tomorrow, Monday, the pair will have to prove their form once again to the selectors in Warendorf. The roster will be announced after the final fitness test.

The third-best German rider in Avenches was Arne Bergendahl, who scored 36.5 points with Bronco NRW. That put him in sixth place in the competition. The pair set a personal best in dressage (28.1). They incurred 8.4 penalty points in the cross-country for exceeding the time limit by 21 seconds. But that was the extent of it, because Bronco NRW—whose dam, Luthien, is a five-star horse that almost never makes jumping errors—followed in his dam’s footsteps: he rode clear. Their total remained at 36.5 penalty points. And these 36.5 penalty points are likely to make a strong statement—at least twice over—in their bid for a spot at the World Championships, even if it’s only as a reserve. A World Championship appearance would certainly be fitting for a pair supported by Road2LA.

Olympic Champions Set Their Sights on the World Championships

Michael Jung and Chipmunk rode a solid but not overly fast course—they received 9.6 penalty points for taking 24 seconds longer than the optimum time. On the course, the pair then had two knockdowns. As a result, they accumulated a total of 39.8 penalty points and finished in last place.

Julia Krajewski and her Holsteiner, Nickel, had won the dressage (22.1). In the cross-country, the German champion took her time. She was 38 seconds slower than the course designer had calculated, resulting in 15.2 penalty points. In Sunday’s show jumping, she then had a knockdown at jump six. All in all: 41.3 penalty points and 14th place in the competition.

With 40.0 points, Vanessa Bölting and Ready to go NRW finished in 12th place, and 13th place also went to Germany: Michael Jung and Perseverance Funky Famous Flamborghini finished with 41.2 penalty points. One knockdown today, a cross-country round without any fault in the obstacles, and 18 seconds over the ideal time—these were the points that added up to the 30.0 from the dressage.

Final Results: CCIO4*-S NC Avenches 2026