Thirteen riders, eleven nations and different generations of the Young Riders Academy will come together on one of the biggest stages in equestrian sport: the FEI Jumping World Championship in Aachen.
From 19 to 23 August, the world’s leading showjumpers will compete for team and individual honours in Aachen, with the championship beginning with the first speed competition on Wednesday before the team competition and individual final unfold over the following days.
For the Young Riders Academy, however, Aachen 2026 represents something more.
Among the athletes selected to represent their nations are 13 members of the #YRAFamily, spanning Academy generations from 2014 to 2023. It is a powerful reflection of a project created not simply to identify young talent, but to support riders throughout the long journey towards the highest level of the sport.
The YRA riders heading to Aachen are:
Bertram Allen (IRL) — YRA 2014
Harry Charles (GBR) — YRA 2018
Derin Demirsoy (TUR) — YRA 2016
Giampiero Garofalo (ITA) — YRA 2016
Sophie Hinners (GER) — YRA 2019
Laura Baaring Kjaergaard (DEN) — YRA 2025
Felix Koller (AUT) — YRA 2019
Egor Shchibrik (POL) — YRA 2023
Lexi Stais (CYP) — YRA 2019
Vaclav Stanek (CZE) — YRA 2019
Thibeau Spits (BEL) — YRA 2023
Richard Vogel (GER) — YRA 2020
Jack Whitaker (GBR) — YRA 2020
Several will arrive in Aachen as key members of some of the strongest teams in the championship. Germany has selected Sophie Hinners and Richard Vogel, Great Britain includes both Harry Charles and Jack Whitaker, while Bertram Allen will represent Ireland. Giampiero Garofalo has been named among Italy’s selected combinations.
Others will carry the colours of nations from across Europe and beyond, including Thibeau Spits for Belgium, Laura Baaring Kjaergaard for Denmark, Vaclav Stanek for Czechia and Felix Koller for Austria. Egor Shchibrik will represent Palestine.
More than a sporting milestone
Seeing so many former Academy riders reach a World Championship illustrates one of the principles that has shaped YRA since its foundation: development does not end when an Academy year finishes.
As Eleonora Ottaviani, President of Athenaeum and Young Riders Academy, explains:
“Our role is not only to identify these talents, but to support them throughout their journey. Seeing so many riders who have been part of the Young Riders Academy now representing their countries on a stage like the World Championships is a source of enormous pride for all of us. It is one of the clearest signs that the path we are building together can continue far beyond the Academy itself, all the way to the very highest level of the sport.”
That long-term perspective has always been at the heart of the Academy.
Over the years, YRA riders have progressed from promising young athletes to Olympic champions, European medallists, five-star Grand Prix winners and regular contenders at the highest level of international jumping. Reflecting on the first decade of the programme, YRA Sport Director Sven Holmberg has described the experience as a remarkable journey shared with the Academy’s riders.
And the journey has always been about more than results.
From its sporting programme to education in communication, business, veterinary science, governance and mental performance, YRA has aimed to prepare riders for every aspect of a professional career. As Project Manager Valentina Ottaviani has underlined, the objective is to develop complete athletes who are able to reach their full potential both in and outside the arena.
Aachen is therefore not simply another championship on the calendar.
It is a moment in which different generations of the Academy meet again at the very top of the sport: riders who entered YRA at different ages, in different years and from different countries, now standing together on the same world stage.
13 riders. 11 nations. One YRA Family.
From everyone at the Young Riders Academy, we wish our riders the very best of luck in Aachen.
We will be watching. We will be cheering. And, as always, we will be proud.