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Philippe Guerdat quits as Brazilian teamchef. "My health is my number one priority..."

The Swiss coach Philippe Guerdat has announced that he will no longer serve as the head coach and trainer of the Brazilian show jumping team. After leading the French team for six years, from 2013 to 2018, the Swiss took up his role with the Seleção in February 2019.

A few months into his tenure, the Brazilian team achieved double success at the Pan-American Games in Lima, winning gold in the team competition and an individual victory by Marlon Módolo Zanotelli. In 2023, during the Games held in Santiago, Chile, another Brazilian, Stephan de Freitas Barcha, became individual champion with Chevaux Primavera Imperio Egipcio, while the national team earned a bronze medal. A few months earlier, Philippe Guerdat's riders had won the prestigious Nations Cup at the CSIO 5* in La Baule, alongside numerous individual achievements.

"It was a wonderful adventure," Philippe Guerdat told Cavalier Romand. "It ended on December 31, despite good results and exceptional relationships with many riders and our team leader, Pedro Paulo Lacerda. It is not an easy decision, and it is unfortunate that it is ending, but that's life: everything has an end."

According to reports, the new president of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation, Almir Antonio Lustosa Vieira, wanted Philippe Guerdat to travel to South America more frequently starting in 2025. "That would have been at the expense of my medical treatments, which are essential," explained Steve Guerdat's father, who has been dealing with health issues for two and a half years. Regarding the future, he added: "Everything depends on my health. I will likely advise some riders, as that is my passion, but I don’t think I will lead a team again. That said, you never know what the future holds, so you should never say never."

 

A few months into his tenure, the Brazilian team achieved double success at the Pan-American Games in Lima, winning gold in the team competition and an individual victory by Marlon Módolo Zanotelli. In 2023, during the Games held in Santiago, Chile, another Brazilian, Stephan de Freitas Barcha, became individual champion with Chevaux Primavera Imperio Egipcio, while the national team earned a bronze medal. A few months earlier, Philippe Guerdat's riders had won the prestigious Nations Cup at the CSIO 5* in La Baule, alongside numerous individual achievements.

"It was a wonderful adventure," Philippe Guerdat told Cavalier Romand. "It ended on December 31, despite good results and exceptional relationships with many riders and our team leader, Pedro Paulo Lacerda. It is not an easy decision, and it is unfortunate that it is ending, but that's life: everything has an end."

According to reports, the new president of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation, Almir Antonio Lustosa Vieira, wanted Philippe Guerdat to travel to South America more frequently starting in 2025. "That would have been at the expense of my medical treatments, which are essential," explained Steve Guerdat's father, who has been dealing with health issues for two and a half years. Regarding the future, he added: "Everything depends on my health. I will likely advise some riders, as that is my passion, but I don’t think I will lead a team again. That said, you never know what the future holds, so you should never say never."

 

source: Cavalier Romand

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