Bruce Springsteen's Daughter Is Now an Olympic Athlete
Published July 7 2021, 3:37 p.m. ET
Musician Bruce Springsteen and singer-songwriter Patti Scialfa have more to celebrate than just their illustrious musical careers. On July 6, 2021, their daughter Jessica Springsteen, 29, will be the youngest member of the four-person U.S. Olympics show jumping equestrian team. Here's everything we know about her equestrian career and what the Olympics will look like for the U.S. show jumping equestrian team!
Jessica Springsteen has been an Olympics contender before.
Town & Country Magazine notes that Jessica has been riding since she was 4 years old and got her first pony at age 6. When she became an adult, Jessica competed in the Royal Windsor Horse Show and became an alternate rider for the 2012 Summer Olympics for equestrian events. In 2014, she won the American Gold Cup, and in 2016, she won her first five-star Grand Prix jumping competition.
Jessica was named a contender for the shortlist for the 2016 Summer Olympics but ultimately did not make it. From 2010 to 2015, she trained with fellow Olympian Laura Kraut, who is now on the 2020 Summer Olympics equestrian team alongside her.
Currently, CNN notes that Jessica is ranked 27th in the world, and will ride the 12-year-old bay Belgian Warmblood stallion named Don Juan van de Donkhoeve in Tokyo. In 2019, Jessica specified that sometimes the horse one rides in competition makes all the difference and emphasized the importance of "chemistry" between horse and rider.
"Some horses, you get on immediately and you click right away, and others it can take a little bit longer and be a bit of a struggle," Jessica said. "But I think you have to be patient and it has to be a mutual give and take between the horse. I think the key to getting the best out of your horse is just managing their schedule, making a good program in advance. You can pick shows that you think they'll peak at."
Who else is joining Jessica on the U.S. Olympic equestrian show jumping team?
Joining Jessica on the U.S. Olympics show jumping equestrian team are returning champions Mclain Ward, Laura Kraut, and Kent Farrington. Mclain Ward is a three-time Olympic medalist with gold medals from the Bejing and Athens Olympics. In Rio, Mclain earned a silver medal. Laura Kraut also won a gold medal in Bejing, and Kent Farrington was awarded a silver medal in Rio.
These returning champions have a good chance at scoring medals and will be joined by three U.S. Olympic dressage team members: Adrienne Lyle riding Salvino, Steffen Peters riding Suppenkasper, and Sabine Schut-Kery riding Sanceo. According to NBC's Olympic coverage, Nick Wagman will also travel to Tokyo as an alternate.
Fans can watch all the exciting action beginning July 23, 2021 on NBC and on NBC.com.