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Annika Schleu in an interview: “Wasn’t rough at any time”

Her appearance in the modern pentathlon at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo caused a scandal because of her handling of the horse “Saint Boy”. In the interview, athlete Annika Schleu talks about the incident in detail for the first time.

Modern pentathlete Annika Schleu is surprised by the violence of the reactions after her Olympic drama in Tokyo. “I did not expect something like this to happen to me,” said the 31-year-old in an interview with the DPA news agency. She had been on the gold course in Tokyo after two disciplines before the horse that was awarded to her refused several times. Schleu used the whip at the request of national coach Kim Raisner, for which there was heavy criticism.

An interview with modern pentathlete Annika Schleu

In the interview, the Berliner describes how she experienced the scenes, what she says about the criticism of Raisner and how she deals with the sometimes violent comments and insults on the Internet.

How did you experience the competition and the situation?

Fate took its course when I saw beforehand that the other sportswoman had already received three refusals with my horse. We then had the hope that I could take a replacement horse. That would of course have been easier for us than with a horse that has already experienced stress on the course. Unfortunately, there was no such chance. The owner of my horse then gave me tips, I took it all to heart, it also worked very well on the warm-up area, so that I actually went into the competition relatively self-confidently.

And what happened then?

But then I noticed that the horse had blocked completely and didn’t really want to. I tried with a light hand – my hand was not close to the front of the mouth – with my legs and with my voice to get the horse forward so that it could even enter the course. But it didn’t want to leave the corner at all. Unfortunately, in this stressful situation – in first place at the Olympic Games – I lost my nerve a little faster and started to cry. I then tried to use the device.

Was that a mistake at that moment?

I don’t think it was in a way that riders wouldn’t, to teach obedience to a horse and convince it to enter the course. This is where these pictures were taken. Of course, I feel attacked when it is said that I am inhuman when allegations of cruelty to animals are raised. I treated the horse to the best of my knowledge. It was already clear that you had to be a little more consistent, but I was never rude.

Has this happened to you often in competitions?

It has never happened to me like this before. Of course you always have rides that aren’t that good. But I have seldom seen that the horse really didn’t want to. But for my feeling it has already hinted at something. A refusal of the horse to want to continue the course at all indicates that the horse is more unwell than when it refuses to jump.

You led at the Olympics and were on the gold course – was that why this situation was particularly bitter for you?

It was difficult for me. I would have liked to have taken a replacement horse. But after everything was so harmonious in the warm-up area, I expected that it would turn out differently. The horse’s panic came the moment the cameras were turned on us. Until then everything went according to plan.

Are the conditions in the modern pentathlon unfair, do you think that something needs to be changed in the riding regulations?

Surely one has to think about reforms. Especially when you see that a horse – for whatever reason – no longer feels able to continue jumping the course, that there have to be other rules than just looking at the four refusals. The veterinarian could also have assessed the horse’s emotional situation, which of course he did not know. Of course, we would have much preferred a replacement horse for both me and the horse.

Can you understand the criticism of national coach Kim Raisner, who asked you to use the whip?

I can understand that she should perhaps have expressed it differently. What she said, what I would have done on my own initiative, to hit the backside with the whip, that is something you can do to convince the horse. I don’t think it was particularly gross either. I have not heard from any of the riders I know that I have violated animal welfare or have tortured the animal. Of course, she may have chosen words that were due to the emotional situation. As a trainer you are also very much involved. Maybe she could have expressed herself differently.

How did you deal with the messages you got afterwards?

It was of course a difficult situation for me. I knew what kind of television pictures are going around the world. We know that we pentathletes are criticized more quickly, even if we act with a clear conscience. Shortly afterwards, I received bad comments and then gave my watch, which is connected to my cell phone, to my trainers so that I wouldn’t have to read it before I ran. I didn’t expect these reactions at all because I really didn’t have the feeling that I was treating the horse too roughly. If you look at the pictures, you can also see that the reins are loose. I didn’t expect something like this to come my way. I then deactivated my Instagram account for the first time. Even so, there are always people who get cell phone numbers that get email addresses. You cannot completely protect yourself from it. It was hard to read all of this, of course.

Have you deactivated your Instagram account for the time being, but not deleted it?

Exactly, the account has not been deleted, but I have now deactivated it for my own protection. Words are sometimes chosen where people are supposedly committed to animal welfare and living beings, but then speak to me or my relatives in a way where I say that is not ok, that goes far too far. I knew that there would be pictures around the world that won’t be beautiful, but I wasn’t expecting some kind of shit storm or so much negative hate.

Miriam Schmidt / DPA / wue

Comments

2 Responses

  1. The fact that this girl doesn’t even think she did anything wrong is the biggest problem here. She has been doing this bad behavior for so long.

  2. I hope this woman in never allowed to compete with horses again. Even now she does not think she has done anything wrong. She is a disgrace.

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