Rolf-Göran Bengtsson's struggle to get back

It takes time to reach the top, but it can go fast to fall in the ranking when the conditions change and the best horses of various reasons will disappear.

It has Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, the first Swedish employment with show jumper who won a mästerskapsguld and the first rider that got Jerringpriset, experienced.

to top the world in show jumping.

today, he is ranked in 103rd place.

But the goal is to climb upward again, and to re-ride the championship.

" Yes, it is clear that it attracts. But I shall make a OS, I feel that I really have to do and can be a challenge. I'm not interested in ”just being, ” says 56-year-old Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, who this week is competing in Gothenburg.

The last sentence says a lot about Rolf-Göran Bengtsson.

In a sport where the practitioners a long time was ”satisfied” almost regardless of how the result was, broke the Rolf-Göran Bengtsson pattern.

He rode to win, and when he failed, he was disappointed.

the setting of all the landslagsryttare in show jumping. All of which, for example, have tried to interview Henrik von Eckermann on gotha frh, after a demolition can attest to that.

" I get happy when I see the Swedish riders here in Gothenburg. The rider is not out to get a white rosette (assigned to sixth grade and down) without the rider to win. It's very fun to see, " says Rolf-Göran.

" Then it is clear that when you are riding to win is the risk that it goes wrong, but it is a part of the sport.

starts talking about how to put the strategy in an important competition, it resembles a chess game.

Each jumping is a part of something bigger.

– for example, If you want to win the competition's Grand Prix (the most prestigious class), you can not ride for victory in all classes until then. Then has not the horse enough energy left for the last day when everything is determined.

Rolf-Göran continues with a laugh:

– When the plan is successful and you win have all forgotten that you are not red fast enough in class before. If you fail in the GP:n, however, it is not as fun. Then you have not won anything. But so are the rules of the game.

in the main press room which is located next to the Scandinavium arena in Gothenburg, sweden. There is ongoing world cup final.

Rolf-Göran has not qualified for the finals, he has not even tried, but he is invited to the races to ride the rest of the mound of mashed potatoes.

Rolf-Göran Bengtsson has descended on the world, but he has not lost his motivation. Photo: Patrik Österberg/TT

Nine times Rolf-Göran Bengtsson riding the world cup finals. He has ridden in five OLYMPICS, where he took silver as well individually as in teams, and in 2011, he was historic when he became the first Swedish jumping riders in the EM red home a mästerskapsguld.

before 2019 was presented was for the first time in many years, not Rolf-Göran Bengtsson in the A-squad.

instead found he is now in the B-squad.

" When my three top horses for the two years then disappeared in a short time, Casall retired, Unita returned to the stud farm Ask (the owners) and Clarimo got hurt, changed conditions.

– the Group with the horses behind them were promising, but they were not ready to join the main classes.

in drove Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and the dane Bo Kristofersen a large hästanläggning together in the German Breitenburg, where they had a close cooperation with the stud Ask which guaranteed the good horses to the stables.

At the beginning of 2018 completed the cooperation, and now runs the Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and his wife Evi, a private training and racing in the German Itzehoe.

" We don't have any sponsor anymore. We have some partners, but in principle, we run more or less themselves now.

" It is clear that it would be nice to have someone backing us up, and maybe get another good horse. It would give a sense of security, and give us time to build up something without having to rush.

in the world also finished the invitations to the greatest races to come.

– Previously I was able to pick and choose, now I'm in a different position. It is just to accept, " he says.

– No, this is my life. I still think this sport is amazing, and it's always fun to see how far you can reach with a horse.

give Rolf-Göran hope for the future, called Crunch, and Oak Grove's Carlyle.

It will be Carlyle as Rolf-Göran will ride in Saturday night's Grand Prix which is the highest and most prestigious class in the races in Gothenburg, sweden alongside the world cup final.

– which of them is the best I can not say. They do both a good job.

Continuing the two horses developed in the same way, Rolf-Göran soon be back in the team's A-squad, and later in the summer waiting for a CHAMPIONSHIP and the next year a OS.

" I'm not going to hunt for a place in the european CHAMPIONSHIP team, but I'm going to keep my plan for the horses and not rush on anything. I would come up with, it would be of course great fun, but we have a super team and it is difficult to take place.

Read more: Patrik Kittel: ”I had a lot of self-doubt as a young man”