By Megan Armitage

Olympic Champion Christian Kukuk has likened the Longines Global Champions Tour as the Champions League of show jumping.

Just weeks after storming to individual Olympic glory at Paris 2024, the 32-year-old from Riesenbeck was jumping in front of the Royal Hospital Chelsea at the London leg of the 2024 Global Champions Tour.

The 16 stage tour, which culminates in a final showdown in Riyadh in November, promises only the best riders and horses from all over the world and sets itself against iconic backdrops in some of the best cities in the world.

And in Kukuk's mind, the event is best described as Champions League show jumping, just with a few less footballs to kick around.

"The Global Champions Tour is a bit like the Champions League in football," he said.

"There are different stages were we compete against each other and teams competing which is something really special in our sport.

"Everyone is fighting for that and if you end up winning the overall like we did last year, it says that you had a great season and not just one good show.
"Consistency is really important and that's what makes it so exciting to me.

"My favourite venue is Riesenbeck."

The Global Champions League, part of the wider Global Champions Tour, is unique to any other show jumping team event that is run around the world due as teams include riders from a mix of nations and not just one country.

Kukuk is one of the lucky riders who is able to compete for his home nation team of Riesenbeck International in the competition and teamed up with fellow German rider Philipp Weishaupt and Ireland's Harry Allen to finish ninth in London.

A separate competition away from the individual Grand Prix, it gives the unique opportunity for riders to compete with those they never usually would.

Sporting Director Marco Danese explained the League's intricacies: "The concept is that there are 14 teams which are not related to the nations competing and are run by private owners.

"They have a list of six riders from any country and at each show they compete with two or three riders in rotation.

"Within the six riders there is an obligation to have an under-25 rider so we have a lot of young riders competing.

"It's a really nice concept because they compete in a different way to the other team competitions around the world as it's consecutive throughout a season."

LONGINES Global Champions Tour. Unique and iconic locations in dynamic capital cities and breathtaking Riviera destinations. The best riders guaranteeing high octane top sport for fans at every event. Precision, power, and elegance combined in one spectacular championship series. For more information visit www.gcglobalchampions.com