(4 August 1996; Day 16)
Ulrich KIRCHHOFF started riding ponies when he was six years old, but he didn't start with jumping, the discipline in which he and Jus de Pommes won a gold medal for Germany on Sunday at Georgia International Horse Park. Before KIRCHHOFF was allowed to jump, his father insisted that had to learn dressage.
Once KIRCHHOFF had mastered the basics, he learned to jump. By the time he was 11, he was competing on his ponies in the European Championships. After finishing school, KIRCHHOFF signed on to train with 1976 gold medalist Alwin SCHOCKEMOEHLE, who KIRCHHOFF says is the most influential person in his riding career.
Through his tenure with SCHOCKEMOEHLE, KIRCHHOFF has had working relationships with several of the top names in international show jumping. He has trained with Jan TOPS of the Netherlands, the only rider that had a chance to take the gold away from KIRCHHOFF in the individual show jumping competition on Sunday, and has also groomed for German teammate Franke SLOOTHAAK.
The individual jumping gold medal at the Centennial Olympic Games is one of a long string of successes KIRCHHOFF has experienced in 1996. KIRCHHOFF and Jus de Pommes won the German championships, part of the qualifying process for the German Olympic team, and followed that with a Nations Cup win at Aachen, Germany.
On Sunday, KIRCHHOFF followed the presentation of medals by putting his own unique twist on the traditional victory gallop. KIRCHHOFF held a full-size German flag through the first lap of the victory gallop, and acquired a second full-size flag early in the second lap. The remainder of the gallop saw KIRCHHOFF travel a lap around the perimeter of the arena with a German flag held high in each hand.
It turns out that the seemingly docile cooperation of Jus de Pommes is a very basic part of the horse's personality. "He's a fantastic horse," said KIRCHHOFF. "He gets along with everyone, and is no trouble with other horses. He's so nice that my eight-year old son (Daniel) can ride him."
If anyone needed further proof that Jus de Pommes is a special horse, it was provided in the ring on Sunday afternoon. Following the morning session, 10 horses had turned in double-clear rounds, including KIRCHHOFF. KIRCHHOFF and Jus de Pommes were scheduled to jump next-to-last, and when the pair entered the ring, KIRCHHOFF knew that a clear round would ensure a medal. "Our chef d'Equippe (Hendrik SNOEK) told me before I went in that nobody had gone clear," said KIRCHHOFF. "I wanted to ride a clear round, so I went in with a clear round first in my mind, and kept my horse balanced on his feet." The pair jumped clear with 1.00 points of time penalties. It was enough to take home Germany's fourth equestrian gold of the Games.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Amy H. Symons.
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