RUMSON – Jessica Springsteen, renowned for being the equestrian daughter of the iconic Bruce Springsteen and her Olympic silver medal achievement, will unfortunately not be competing for the gold at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. An announcement from U.S. Equestrian revealed that Springsteen’s name was not included in the lineup for the jumping team heading to Paris. The competition, set to kick off in Versailles, France on August 1, will showcase Kent Farrington from Florida and his 2014 Oldenburg mare, Greya; Laura Kraut, also from Florida, alongside her 2010 Hanoverian gelding, Baloutinue; and McLain Ward from New York with his 2013 KWPN gelding, Ilex. Karl Cool from California has been named as an alternate with the 2012 Selle Français mare, Caracole de la Roque.
Chef Robert Ridland expressed confidence in the selected team, highlighting the seasoned expertise of the athletes and the exceptional form of their horses as they prepare for the Games. He emphasized the team’s strong focus on success in Paris following the finalization of the team selection.
Having made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2021 Games, Springsteen, currently 33 years old and with 67 wins to her name, was ranked 27th in the world at the time according to the International Federation for Equestrian Sports but has since moved to the 127th position.
Nonetheless, the U.S. team appears to be in capable hands with Farrington, ranked 6th globally and featuring in his third Olympics; Kraut, with a ranking of 35th worldwide and a history of silver in Tokyo and gold in Beijing; and Ward, ranked 15th globally with an impressive 257 wins since 2010, and a record of golds in Athens and Beijing, as well as silvers in the 2016 and 2020 Games, underscoring the team’s robust potential for Paris 2024.