Australia’s Jumping campaign at the 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen has come to a close after five days of world-class competition, with our senior team and two talented Young Riders taking on one of the biggest stages in international showjumping.

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The championship began on Wednesday with 145 combinations representing 50 nations, including 31 teams, lining up for the opening speed competition.

Edwina Tops-Alexander and Fellow Castlefield led the Australian charge, finishing 37th on 2.80 penalties. Tom McDermott and Oaks Ventriloquist were 73rd on 5.30, Jamie Winning-Kermond and Tulara Wat Colblensky finished 88th on 6.58, and Rowan Willis and Handsome were 131st on 19.69.

With the best three scores counting, Australia completed the opening day in 20th place among the 31 teams on a total of 14.68 penalties.

The championship moved into the first round of the second competition on Thursday, where the Australians produced some excellent jumping.

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Edwina and Fellow Castlefield delivered a clear round, while Tom and Oaks Ventriloquist also left every fence standing. Jamie and Tulara Wat Colblensky added just one time penalty, and Rowan and Handsome completed the demanding course with four faults.

It was a strong response from the Australian combinations, but the team did not make the cut for the top 10 nations returning for Friday night’s team final.

Individually, however, Edwina and Tom had done enough to continue. After the opening speed class and Thursday’s round, Edwina was sitting 19th and Tom was 42nd, comfortably placing both combinations inside the top 60 invited back for Friday night’s second round.

Edwina and Tom returned to the Aachen Main Stadium under lights, carrying Australia’s hopes into the next stage of the individual competition. At the completion of Friday night, neither combination was inside the top 25 required to advance to Sunday’s individual final. This brought Australia’s senior World Championship jumping campaign to an end.

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Germany claimed the team gold medal on home soil, with Belgium taking silver and Great Britain bronze. Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland and France also secured team qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Sunday’s individual final brought the senior championship to a thrilling conclusion. Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat and Dynamix de Belheme produced a brilliant double clear to claim the world title on 0.86 penalties. Belgium’s Thibeau Spits and Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z took silver, while Great Britain’s Harry Charles and LT Holst Freda completed the podium with bronze.

Australia was also represented in Aachen’s international Young Riders Tour by Jack Barker and Oaks Cryptic, and Charlie Magnier with Notre Dame de Bourguignon.

Both combinations made an excellent start in Friday’s opening 1.40 metre class. Charlie jumped clear to finish sixth among 39 starters, while Jack also produced a clear round to place 19th.

Their performances across the opening classes secured both Australians a place among the 25 combinations contesting Sunday morning’s 1.45 metre Young Riders Grand Prix.

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Charlie and Notre Dame de Bourguignon finished 17th with four faults in 75.10 seconds, while Jack and Oaks Cryptic placed 24th with 12 faults in 71.56 seconds. Germany’s Max Paschertz and Cathilde H won the class.

For Jack and Charlie, the opportunity to compete in Aachen’s famous Main Stadium alongside the World Championships was invaluable. Both riders represented Australia with confidence and gained experience that will play an important role as they continue building their international careers.

Aachen did not deliver the team result or Olympic qualification Australia had hoped for, but it provided a clear measure of where we stand against the strongest combinations in the world. There were clear rounds, promising performances and important lessons across both the senior championship and Young Riders tour.

The attention now turns to the next major target, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Australia still has work to do and qualification opportunities ahead, but Aachen has given our riders, selectors and support teams a valuable foundation from which to move forward.

We cannot close without thanking once again Divas Beveraged for being our coverage partner for Aachen 2026.

The road to LA starts here.

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