Swedish Sports Gala: Sweden’s Olympic gold-winning jumping team takes home ‘The Jerring Price’
The Swedish people have had their say. The jumping national team won the Jerring Prize after a sensational Olympic gold in Tokyo. “The absolute greatest thing we have achieved, ”says Malin Baryard Johnsson in her speech.
For the first time in 97 years, Sweden won an Olympic gold in jumping. This after a thrilling final where the Swedish team – consisting of Henrik von Eckermann, Malin Baryard Johnsson and Peder Fredricson – was 1.3 seconds faster than the USA in a thrilling jump.
For this, they were awarded Radiosporten’s Jerring Prize. “We would like to thank our fantastic horses, “Indy” (Baryard Johnson’s Indiana), “Allan” (Fredricsson’s All in) and Eddy (von Eckermann’s King Edward) and their owners. We went to Tokyo and competed, competed and competed. When we won this gold, it was by far the best we have ever achieved. But it was when we got home that we realized that we had not exactly won an Olympic gold. We had also won a new audience – a huge one, says Malin Baryard Johnsson in the team’s speech of thanks.
“We know we have incredible support and an incredible sect behind us. With many newcomers in our family,” said Malin. “We had high hopes,” says Henrik von Eckermann after winning the vote of the Swedish people.
Earlier in the evening, the national jumping team also received the Bragdguldet and Team of the Year. In SVT’s post-event talk, world champion Peder Fredricson develops the feeling of taking home tonight’s last, and heaviest, prize. “It has been a fantastic evening for equestrian sports. To finish with the Jerring Prize was very big “, he says and pays tribute to his teammates:”We have a very good team spirit and a fantastic team spirit. We went to the Olympics to win Olympic gold, that was the only focus. There were no other things that took any energy away from us. And that’s the hallmark of a team with a really good team spirit. ”
Source: SVT/ press release Swedish Equestrian Federation
Photo: Roland Thunholm / Instagram Swedish Equestrian Federation