Brazil’s Bernardo Kraus Guerra produced a composed performance aboard Olza to win the FEI Jumping World Challenge Final in Astana (KAZ) on Sunday, concluding a week that brought together emerging Jumping athletes from 11 nations in the heart of Eurasia. Bekzod Rozmukhamedov of Uzbekistan finished second with Florizell, while Colombia’s Nicolas Rodriguez Posada claimed third place riding Griffit.
Held alongside CSI-W FEI Jumping World Cup™ and CDI competitions, the FEI Jumping World Challenge Final once again highlighted the FEI Solidarity programme’s role in creating international opportunities for athletes from developing equestrian nations. Athletes competed on borrowed horses, with limited time to establish partnerships before the competition began.
“Eurasia is one of the fastest growing regions for horsesport,” said FEI President Ingmar De Vos in his welcome address earlier in the week. “These tournaments provide a fertile landscape in which athletes and horses can gain experience for the wider international stage.”
For Guerra, competing in his first FEI Jumping World Challenge Final, the experience proved both challenging and rewarding. The young Brazilian athlete quickly formed a successful partnership with Olza after only a brief familiarisation period following the horse draw.
“It feels really good. I enjoyed it a lot because Kazakhstan was a really different experience for me,” said Guerra. “I found a connection very quickly with Olza. Just one day, and already we were really well connected.”
The borrowed-horse format remains one of the defining characteristics of the FEI Jumping World Challenge Final, testing adaptability, tact and horsemanship under pressure, but also allowing accessibility for athletes who would not be able to travel their horses for international competition otherwise. Guerra acknowledged that building trust with an unfamiliar horse in such a short period was one of the biggest lessons of the week.
“I think the thing that is most different from other competitions is this experience of getting the horse with a really short time to form a connection with,” said Guerra.
The victory continues a strong progression for the Brazilian athlete, who also won the 2024 Brazilian Championship for Young Riders (Jovem Cavaleiro). Guerra now hopes the result will strengthen his chances of selection for the Dakar 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games being held in Senegal later this year, where athletes also compete on borrowed horses.
“With this victory, hopefully now I am bumped into first place,” said Guerra of his Youth Olympic ambitions, as he was lying second on Brazil’s longlist before the Challenge.
Guerra was equally complimentary about both the venue and the host nation following his victory.
“It’s a really beautiful place here in Kazakhstan,” he said. “I see really good horses here in Kazakhstan and the people here are really cool, very communicative. So it was a good experience, not just for the sport, but also generally.”
