‘Horses for courses’: Olympic gold medallist pulls out of mix for European Championship selection

Olympic gold medallist Julia Krajewski will miss the 2025 Agria European Eventing Championships at Blenheim after withdrawing her current stable star Uelzener’s Nickel from selection contention.

The pair are reigning German national champions and their impressive record boasts five wins from their last eight starts. They also finished 11th at the Paris Olympics last summer and were named on the German long-list for this year’s Europeans.

Julia said today (15 August) she is “a firm believer in ‘horses for courses’” and that Blenheim is not a venue that would suit the 11-year-old gelding.

The pair did compete here in 2023, when they finished ninth in the young horse CCI4*-S, which runs over a shorter cross-country track than the long-format course.

“When I heard that the European Championships for this year had been given to Blenheim I thought ‘very cool venue, but I don’t think it’s for Nickel’,” said Julia.

“I’ve been in Blenheim twice, with fond memories and for the right horse it is a great course and impressive venue!

“Though, knowing Nickel for some years now, I felt that the very hilly terrain and subsequent intensity isn’t something that makes him thrive and we don’t want to push him into something I know he doesn’t feel comfortable with.

“Therefore, after contemplating all aspects, his ever-supportive owner Professor Bernd Heicke and I decided to stay out of the selection process and rather have him do a CCI4*-L this autumn that I know suits him better.

“As said, this is absolutely nothing against the venue itself, but I am a firm believer in ‘horses for courses’ and try to live by that! Obviously I wish the German team the very best of luck.”

Julia became the first woman to win individual Olympic eventing gold when she was crowned champion in Tokyo with the now retired Amande De B’Neville.

The German squad is set to be named after the CCIO4*-S in Arville, Belgium, this weekend (15 to 18 August).

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