South African equestrian Thomas van Rijckevorsel (17) claimed the gold medal in the Individual Show Jumping event from a field of 30 young athletes.
Aachen, Germany (08 July 2022) – At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the postponement of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) that were to be hosted in Dakar, Senegal, until 2026. In light of this postponement, the global equestrian sport governing body, the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), announced it would host the first-ever Youth Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, to allow the young hopefuls the opportunity to compete at a global level under the same conditions they would have done so at the Youth Olympics. On July 2nd, 2022, in front of a packed stadium at the CHIO Aachen, South Africa’s Thomas van Rijckevorsel (17) claimed the gold medal in the Individual Show Jumping event from a field of 30 young athletes between the ages of 15 and 18 from across the globe.
The victory came as Thomas emerged from the second round of the final competition as the fastest rider with a clear round in a time of 31.69 seconds, riding the borrowed mare, Lucy 781. All athletes taking part in the competition rode borrowed horses that were drawn randomly, placing them all on a level playing field. Van Rijckevorsel finished ahead of Morocco’s Jed Guerraoui and the USA’s Mimi Gochman to put South Africa on the top step on the global stage and etch his name into the history books.
“It was amazing – it hasn’t sunk in yet, it’s the best thing that ever happened to me!” said Thomas of the victory.
The gold medal was Thomas’ second medal-worthy performance of the Youth Equestrian Games after picking up bronze as a member of Team Africa earlier in the week.
Thomas is no stranger to success, having competed in the open show jumping classes in South Africa on his three top-level horses, racking up numerous victories over the last few years against vastly more experienced opposition. But victory in Aachen is undoubtedly the highest achievement so far for Thomas, who trains with Dominey Alexander of Cellehof Stud, Livery, and Training Centre in Kyalami, Johannesburg.
Thomas returned to South Africa to rapturous applause at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on July 6th, where he was greeted by a large group of supporters from the South African equestrian community. But while he will now turn his focus back to local competition, his heart is firmly set on returning to the international stage after just his first taste in Germany.
“After this week I definitely want to come back and jump at Aachen again – I’d love to have a career in this sport, it’s my life!”
For South Africa, Thomas’ victory puts the country on the global map and showcases the high level of up-and-coming talent we have to offer. Team Arica’s strong showing in the Team event is also a boon for equestrian sport on the continent and comes after years of preparation that involved African countries grouping together to host various training clinics under the auspices of the African Confederation of Equestrian Sports (A.C.E.S.) FEI Solidarity programme. The result and the message sent from South Africa and Africa to the world is clear: We have the talent to compete at a global level, and we won’t stop until victory is ours.