‘I don’t think it gets any better than this’: showjumping legend wins individual world title
Steve Guerdat and Dymanix De Belheme are the 2026 world showjumping champions
The legendary Steve Guerdat and Dynamix De Belheme have been crowned individual 2026 world showjumping champions in fabulous style.
The Swiss team was not on the podium on Friday, although they did secure Olympic qualification by finishing fifth. But Steve and the fantastic 13-year-old mare – European champions three years ago and the reigning Olympic silver medallists – were faultless all week, and topped it off with two foot-perfect rounds today.
They were in the silver-medal position going into the first round, and CHC Horses SA & La Giraffa SA’s superstar mare had her ears pricked throughout, to stay on their 0.86 score.
When leaders Daniel Deusser and Otello De Guldenboom had an early fence, Steve went into the second round with a fence in hand – but he didn’t need it. This second course was such a tough one – only the three medallists jumped it clear – but like the absolute pros they are, Steve and Dynamix flew it in perfect style.
“I don’t have the words,” an emotional Steve said straight afterwards. “I’m just coming down now. I’d like to be with my team now because they deserve this medal as much as I do, and my horse and all the team around me.
“Most of them made the trip today to come here; my dad is watching at home, so for everybody, I’m really proud.”
2026 world showjumping champions join elite group
Steve joins an elite group to have won the world, European and Olympic individual titles, not to mention the World Cup Final.
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“All the titles I wanted when I was a kid, and I was very nervous all week,” he said. “Normally my championships get better in [anxiety] once I get into it, but this week it kept getting worse.
“World Championships come every four years, and it’s not every four years you have a horse like Dynamix. It’s not every World Championship that you’re in a situation where you can win a medal, and maybe the gold, which I was dreaming of. I kept very nervous about what might be my last chance to get it.
“I never wanted to finish my career before having won Aachen; there’s no day in my life I don’t think about Aachen, and to win the world title, the one I was missing, in Aachen – I don’t think it gets any better than that.”
Steve, who has been blessed by so many fabulous horses, has long cited this mare as one of the best, and this title just confirms his view.
“I’m somewhere now I never dreamed of,” he said. “I have a lot of pride obviously for my horse, first, but all the team around, my family; it takes so many people to bring you here. I’m the one on podium, but I wish I could take a few other people up there with me and share it with them.”
Super silver for Belgium
Young Belgian rider Thibeau Spits, 25, added to the team silver he helped secure for his country with an individual of the same colour, riding Impress-K van't Kattenheye Z. The pair, who were on the team that won European gold last year, jumped two fabulous rounds today to finish on 5.6 penalties.
Thibeau has achieved such heights so early, but “it’s not getting much better than this!” he said.
“I never dreamed of it, I’ll probably never have a horse in such good shape and as talented as he is,” he said. “After last year, I dreamed a lot of things, after the second day here to have a rail, I was a bit devastated.
“It was a fault that didn’t have to happen but after that I changed my mind. I went feeling I trust him on his talent and today, after the team medal on Friday, I could enter without pressure, just try to enjoy today, so this medal is just unbelievable.
“He gave me so much trust, day by day just riding on the flat, he started to feel better. I felt he was ready for it, and he gave me a lot of confidence coming in to today.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.