Jessica von Bredow-Werndl returns to competition with super new freestyle

Jessica von bredow-werndl dressage olympic champion freestyle gold — Jessica von Bredow-Werndl celebrates after her plus-91% freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics.

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Less than three months after giving birth to her second child, reigning Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl has burst back on to the international competition scene, with a brilliant new freestyle to boot.

Having opened her comeback with a freestyle win on Ferdinand BB in Stadl Paura, Austria, this month, Jessica chose the World Cup qualifier in Lyon, France, to return to the ring with her Olympic and European gold medallist TSF Dalera BB for the first time since winning the World Cup Final in April.

The premiere of Jesica and Dalera’s new freestyle, to replace the La La Land routine that had won the pair one bronze and two individual gold medals since 2019, has been much anticipated. It became clear why Jessica had chosen to debut it at Lyon, with the new programme based around the iconic French singer Edith Piaf’s music, which Jessica has said is designed to depict the love story between herself and Dalera.

The scores awarded ranged from 87.95% from the French judge Jean-Michel Roudier at B, up to a high of 91.75% from the Dutch judge Mariette Sanders – Van Gansewinkel at M. Four of the five judges had her in the lead – France’s Isabelle Judet at C had eventual runner-up Isabell Werth and Emilio 107 in front. This is the seventh time Jessica and Dalera have broken the 90% barrier in international competition – their all-time best score was 91.75% at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

TOPICS

Olympic champion explodes back into competition with huge score in brand new winning freestyle

Jessica and Dalera began their campaign with a plus-81% short grand prix win, then debuted their brand new freestyle routine to score a massive 90.14% in the freestyle the following day.

“I’m so, so, so happy to be back,” said an exuberant Jessica after her grand prix. “Dalera felt amazing. We had many highlights and I just love the way of our “silent communication”.”

The emotive strains of Non, Je ne Regrette Rien matched perfectly with Dalera’s beautiful piaffe-passage, which has certainly not diminished in its quality during her time off. Their walk section was to La Vie en Rose, with Padam Padam featuring during the canter tour.

The test, which had the maximum degree of difficulty of 10, was virtually mistake-free, save for a short change behind near the beginning of their canter work. Jessica’s face broke into a huge smile as she concluded the routine with the superb piaffe, before the final halt.

You may also be interested in…

‘Every child begins the world again’: Olympic champion gives birth while watching her brother ride at Herning World Championships

Olympic champion ‘denied’ permission to return to competition in maternity leave dispute

‘She leaves her heart in there for us’: Jessica von Bredow-Werndl claims World Cup title on last major outing before baby break

‘The fear of mistakes knocked on my door every day’: Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on the ‘mental toolbox’ that helped her win Olympic gold