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PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 05: Jessica Springsteen of The United States of America reacts on day 1 of the 5th Longines Paris Eiffel Jumping on July 5, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
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PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 05: Jessica Springsteen of The United States of America reacts on day 1 of the 5th Longines Paris Eiffel Jumping on July 5, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
American equestrian Jessica Springsteen will make her Olympic debut next week at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics. Although she made the 2012 London Olympics team as an alternate, she will take part in the individual and team eventing disciplines in Tokyo this time.
Ahead of her Olympic debut, the 29-year-old revealed what this means to her while praising her teammates.
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Jessica Springsteen calls Olympic debut the realization of a dream
The daughter of rock legend Bruce Springsteen, Jessica ranks #14 in the FEI world rankings. She started riding horses at the young age of four and never looked back since then, moving into the high graces of equestrian sport.
While she will take part in the Games for the first time, she achieved success in various tournaments leading up to Tokyo. At 29 years old, Springsteen is the youngest equestrian in Team USA’s jumping team.
She will take part in the individual jumping event on August 4 and the team jumping event on August 7. Springsteen will team with Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut, and McLain Ward in the team jumping event next Saturday.
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PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 05: Jessica Springsteen of The United States of America and RMF Zecilie compete on day 1 of the 5th Longines Paris Eiffel Jumping on July 5, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
Ahead of her scheduled events, Springsteen revealed how the Tokyo Olympics helps her realize a childhood dream of hers. She said, “This has been my dream since I first started riding, so it all still feels surreal.”
“It’s always an honor to represent my country, and to be doing so at the games is something in which I take great pride.”
Springsteen: Looking forward to competing with my teammates
While revealing her excitement, she also lauded her jumping teammates, who have Olympic experience. “My teammates are riders I’ve looked up to throughout my career, as well as former Olympians, so I’m really looking forward to sharing this experience with them,” said the 29-year-old.
Springsteen will compete in the jumping events with her horse Don Juan van de Donkhoeve. Although this is her first Olympic experience, she will be no lightweight in the battle for gold next week.
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