January 18, 2026 
Steve Guerdat and Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte rode to a decisive victory and their first 5* Grand Prix win in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup at Leipzig on Sunday. But there was a German hot on his heels.
First to return for the 11-horse jump off, Guerdat and the 12-year-old SBS gelding (Bamako de Muze x Tinka’s Boy) set a standard that ultimately couldn’t be caught when they crossed the timers in in 42.21 seconds. It was a full second faster than runners up Simon Delestre and Gatsby du Tillard.
Now, Guerdat winning a World Cup class is hardly a new development.
The Swiss rider is a three-time World Cup champion (2014, 2015, 2019) and has twice finished runner up (2012 & 2013) and once third (2007) at the Final. He’s so consistent, in fact, he’s only twice finished outside the top 10 in 15 World Cup Final appearances and never worse than 15th.
Wining World Cups, in short, is what Guerdat does. What makes this weekend’s victory in Leipzig unusual is the part-time show jumper who came closest to catching his time: Michael Jung.
Jung is an eventer, first and foremost, and history’s most successful one on the championship stage. Like the Guerdat, his resume is the stuff of legend.
They’re both former world number one ranked riders in their disciplines.
They’re both Olympic gold medalists. (Guerdat and Jung were the 2012 individual champions in show jumping and eventing respectively. Jung went on two claim two more individual golds in 2016 and 2024.)
They’re both World Cup Final champions. (Guerdat has won the show jumping title three times. Jung did it once in the short-lived eventing series.)
They’re both European individual champions. (Guerdat won in 2023 in show jumping. Jung, in 2011, 2013, and 2015 for eventing.)
And on Sunday in Leipzig, they both crossed the timers under the 43 second mark, the only two pairs to do so. Jung came within three hundredths of a second (42.24) of catching Guerdat’s time—and he did it on a 9-year-old horse, no less. A rail ultimately put him and Fischerheros Z in 6th place overall.
Jung Money, as he’s known to no one, would need a minor miracle to qualify for the Final this year at Fort Worth, Texas. But that’s one storyline we’d pay to watch.
Guerdat now sits in 10th on the World Cup Standings on 29 points. With four legs remaining in the Western European League, Richard Vogel continues to lead on 56 points, followed by Johan-Sebastian Gulliksen (53) and Willem Greve and Max Kühner (52 per). The World Cup next stops in Amsterdam, January 22–25.
The 2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final will be held in Fort Worth, Texas, April 8–12. Tickets are on sale now at fortworth2026.com.
