Gerrit Nieberg Wins the Münster Championship at the Tournament of Champions

Thirteen of the 48 pairs made it to today’s jump-off for the Münster Championship at the 2026 Tournament of Champions. Gerrit Nieberg rode the 11-year-old Quasimodo Z daughter IB Queen, who has risen to become the stable’s number one horse after Gerrit’s top horse, Ping Pong van de Lentamel, a new home received. The two were one of the last pairs in the jump-off. The only pair to have completed a second clear round up to that point were Swedish Olympic team champion Malin Baryard-Johnsson and her 13-year-old Westphalian Hennessy by Hogwart, whom she acquired from Martin Fuchs in 2021. However, the pair had been rather slow, clocking 50.15 seconds.

Other favorites, such as Marcus Ehning riding the 10-year-old Askala NRW and Mario Stevens riding Starissa FRH, knocked down bars while trying to ride faster.

Ehning and IB Queen struck the right balance between risk and safety: a clear round in 46.52 seconds. But two pairs were still to go—World Cup finalists Patrick Stühlmeyer and Baloutaire PS, as well as the Italian Emanuele Gaudiano on Esteban de Hus, who is always good for fast rounds. The latter knocked himself out of contention with three knockdowns. Stühlmeyer and Baloutaire PS would have been significantly faster at 41.79 seconds, but they also had one knockdown. They ultimately finished fifth.

Meanwhile, Gerrit Nieberg celebrated his victory. Malin Baryard-Johnsson and Hennessy took second place for Sweden. Paula de Boer-Schwarz took third place on her brilliant My Miss Marple, who posted the fastest four-fault round with a time of 41.56 seconds. Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi from the UAE, riding BBS McGregor (4/41.63), managed to squeeze in between her and Stühlmeyer.

Nieberg was, of course, happy about his success. “Winning here in front of a home crowd and this audience is, of course, something very special,” said the 33-year-old. “My plan was to ride a clear round and be fast enough in the jump-off, and the plan worked.”

Malin Baryard-Johnsson said that, in her career spanning several decades, this is the first time she has competed in the Tournament of Champions. “This is actually my first time here in Münster, which is almost crazy, because I’ve ridden in Germany so many times and have been hearing nothing but good things about the Tournament of Champions for years.” Her impression: “There’s a great atmosphere here, with this mix of city, nature, and the castle backdrop.”

One is thrilled by the scenery, the other by her horse. Paula de Boer-Schwarz: “My horse is truly special—probably the kind of horse you only get once in a lifetime. We were the fastest today, but there was one moment when I wasn’t paying close enough attention. I’d say to my mare, ‘I’m sorry I took the win away from you.’ She’s incredible—just a great horse.”