A familiar picture in the past: Ludger Beerbaum in Nations Cup dress
Image: dpa
Show jumper Ludger Beerbaum returns to the German team. Proceedings are still pending against him. The Equestrian Federation explains why Beerbaum was nevertheless nominated.
Ludger Beerbaum in a red jacket, working for the German national show jumping team – that was a familiar sight up until six years ago. In 2016 he won team bronze at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and announced the end of his career as a team rider while still in Brazil. A few weeks after the games, at the Nations Cup finals in Barcelona, the four-time Olympic champion wore the red jacket reserved for those riding for the German team for the last time. By then, Beerbaum had competed for his home country 158 times, more than any other rider.
Last Friday, the 58-year-old slipped on the eye-catching piece of fabric again – for the Nations Cup in Hickstead in England – the Germans came second. “It shouldn’t be a big deal, no resignation from resignation,” Beerbaum said. He justified his temporary return by saying that there was a small shortage of riders for the Nations Cup so close to the World Championships, which begins on August 6th in Herning in Denmark.
