Here is Peder Fredricson at Stockholm Stadium, holding his ticket to his fifth Olympic Games in his hands.
Roll back the tape a year, to the same place.
Then, his career, life, and future hung by a thread.
During the warm-up on the young horse Que Sera, Fredricson was thrown out of the saddle, landed on his neck in the fiber sand, and was taken to Karolinska Hospital by ambulance. For a few hours, family, relatives, friends, and hundreds of thousands of equestrian enthusiasts held their breath.
Fredricson was lucky in his misfortune. The X-ray showed no fractures, but his muscles and tendons had taken a severe beating.
Fredricson was so battered that it took six weeks before he competed again. Too late to compete for a spot on the team that won the European Championship gold in Milan in early September.
No After-Effects of the Fall
Shortly after being presented as one of four riders on team captain Henrik Ankarcrona's Olympic team, Fredricson is doing interviews non-stop. One year is both a short and a long time.
Today, he is not suffering from any after-effects of the nasty accident, neither physical nor psychological.
I'm feeling completely fine now, but it took some time to get back.
Did you learn anything from the nasty accident?
I definitely did. You have to hope so. I also learned things during rehab. It was a process to get started after wearing a neck brace. I've learned things about rehab and training that I wish I had learned earlier. Sometimes you need tough things to happen to learn new things and develop. I've learned a lot about myself and my body, about my own physical training, says Fredricson, 52.
And adds:
In that sense, the bad has something good to it.
"You Shouldn't Give Up"
The upcoming trip to Versailles was long uncertain. In February last year, All In, the horse he had won medals with at the Olympic Games, World Championship, and European Championship, was retired. Then came the fall at the Stadium.
And back at the stable, Catch Me Not wasn't getting any younger. Outwardly, Fredricson was low-key about the Olympics, while he matched the now 18-year-old gelding. Initially, in the World Cup. Gradually, the successes came.
You shouldn't give up. It's easy to say that "I don't have the money, so it's not possible". Or that the horse is too old. It's very easy to say that it's not possible.
Age is just a number, actually. The horse is motivated. But you have to have respect for age. That's why I was cautious about saying anything last winter. The horse has to feel fresh and motivated, and you can't do that too long beforehand. He's given me the answers I wanted. He's continuing to develop and is in good form, says Fredricson.
Team captain Henrik Ankarcrona on why he wants Fredricson on the Olympic team:
For his ability to lift himself time and time again when it matters most. It's an ability that can't be overlooked.
Malin Baryard Johnsson
Born: April 10, 1975.
Lives: Norrköping.
Club: Åby Riding Club.
Horse: Indiana, mare, 16 years old.
Main merits: Olympic gold team 2021, Olympic silver team 2004, World Championship gold team 2022, World Championship silver team 2018, World Championship silver team 2002, European Championship silver team 2017, European Championship silver team 2001.
Previous Olympics: 2021, 2016, 2004, 2000, 1996.
Peder Fredricson
Born: January 30, 1972.
Lives: Vitaby.
Club: Österlen Riding Club.
Horse: Catch Me Not S, gelding, 18 years old.
Main merits: Olympic gold team 2021, Olympic silver individual 2021, Olympic silver individual 2016, Olympic silver team 2004, World Championship gold team 2022, World Championship silver team 2018, European Championship gold individual 2017, European Championship silver team 2017.
Previous Olympics: 2021, 2016, 2004, 1992 (eventing).
Rolf-Göran Bengtsson
Born: June 2, 1962.
Lives: Itzehoe, Germany.
Club: Flyinge Horse Sport Club.
Horse: Zuccero, stallion, 12 years old.
Main merits: Olympic silver individual 2008, Olympic silver team 2004, European Championship gold team 2023, European Championship bronze team 2013, European Championship gold individual 2011, European Championship bronze individual 2001, European Championship silver team 2001.
Previous Olympics: 2016, 2012, 2008, 2004, 1996.
Henrik von Eckermann
Born: May 25, 1981.
Lives: Kessel, Netherlands.
Club: Östra Sörmland Rural RF.
Horse: King Edward, gelding, 14 years old.
Main merits: Olympic gold team 2021, World Championship gold individual 2022, World Championship gold team 2022, World Championship silver team 2018, European Championship gold team 2023, European Championship silver team 2017, European Championship bronze team 2013, World Cup final winner 2024, World Cup final winner 2023.
Previous Olympics: 2021, 2016, 2012.
Athens 2004
+ Silver in show jumping team event. Malin Baryard Johnsson, Peder Fredricson, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, Peter Eriksson.
Beijing/Hong Kong 2008
+ Silver for Rolf-Göran Bengtsson in individual show jumping.
London 2012
+ Silver for Sara Algotsson Ostholt in individual eventing.
Rio de Janeiro 2016
+ Silver for Peder Fredricson in individual show jumping.
Tokyo 2021
+ Gold in show jumping team event. Malin Baryard Johnsson, Peder Fredricson, Henrik von Eckermann.
+ Silver for Peder Fredricson in individual show jumping.
