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Julia is a German event rider who won the individual gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games on Amande De B’neville, making her the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in eventing. Julia won her first championship at 12 years old at the Pony Europeans in 2001, and she went on to be competitive at the junior and young rider levels. Julia won team silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics and finished first at the 2017 Luhmuhlen CCI 4* on Samourai du Thot. She also won individual silver and team gold at the 2022 Pratoni World Championships on Amande De B’neville. She was selected to coach the Junior team in 2016. Julia has been based at the German national centre at Warendorf since 2007. She spent three years in the German army sport corps, has a master's degree in riding, and currently splits her time between riding and coaching.

In this episode, Julia discusses various topics related to her career as a top event rider, including:

• How her life has changed after winning individual gold at the Olympics.

• The programs that helped her transition from a junior to a professional rider and coach.

• Her experience in the army sport corps and what a day to day looks like at Warendorf.

• Learning to deal with the pressure of being on a team and the media’s influence.

• Preparing for the Tokyo games after they were postponed and the training that took place in the 4 or 5 years between games.

• Her approach to fitness work.

Join Julia and Sinead in this exciting conversation on becoming a top rider through patience and a plan.