The Top Competitions of 2024 based on Field Strength & Who Won Them
The Rolex Grand Slams, but also the Paris Olympic Games attracted some of our sport’s strongest competitors last year.
In the high-stakes world of show jumping, field strength serves as a crucial indicator of competition quality. As we look back at 2024's most prestigious events, the data reveals fascinating insights about which competitions attracted the sport's elite combinations and produced the most memorable victories.
Record-Breaking Field Strength: The Geneva Effect
In general, it seems that the Rolex Grand Slam Grands Prix attract some of our sports most successful competitors. Now, we also have the data to back that up. According to the EquiRatings Elo Field Strength, the Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva had the toughest individual field strength, not only of 2024, but since the start of our data collection in 2010.
It was quite a jump-off that decided the 2024 Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva. Historically, victory had been alluding Harrie Smolders and the incredible Monaco whose runner-up tally stood at 11 when they entered the Palexpo Arena of Sunday. As first out in a 10-headed jump-off, they produced a foot-perfect and fast round to keep the pressure on the combinations that followed. Many tried, but none succeeded to remain clear and improve on Smolders' & Monaco's time, seeing the pair claim their first-ever five-star Grand Prix victory in the toughest five-star Grand Prix ever recorded.
Other classes in Geneva also attracted strong combinations, with both the IJRC Rolex Top 10 Final, as the Trophée de Geneve both also ranking among the Top 4 competitions of 2024.
The Rolex Grand Prix of Calgary also ranks among the Top 10 top competitions of 2024.
Martin Fuchs: Master of High-Stakes Moments
One rider seemed to peak when the opposition seemed the toughest. Of the 10 competitions with the strongest Elo Field Strength of 2024, three were won by the Swiss Wonder, Martin Fuchs. Successful on home soil in Geneva by taking victory in the Trophée de Geneve riding Conner Jei, it was with Leone Jei that Fuchs managed to claim his first-ever victory in a IJRC Rolex Top 10 Final. Earlier in the year, that same pair had already won the Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva for the second year running.
Olympic Glory: Kukuk's Historic Victory in Paris
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games gave us a thrilling exhibition of sport with one of the three toughest individual Field Strengths of the year. After a three-headed jump-off, it was Christian Kukuk & Checker 47 who took the honours and will go down in history as the 2024 Olympic Champions. They beat both Beauville Z N.O.P. and Dynamix de Belheme in the jump-off, despite being lower-rated than both horses at the time.
