It seems that this year’s Paris Olympics can’t escape the drama and in a not-so unexpected turn of events, another athlete has been riddled by a shocking mishap.
On August 6, the individual showjumping finals were held at the Palace of Versailles.
During the game, two competing riders, Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann and Mexico’s Andres Azcarraga, were shockingly each thrown off from their horses.
Guys??? https://t.co/KdULc1We1h pic.twitter.com/gFLD1rmHlD
— notbri.sol (@Xhakaed) August 6, 2024
The mishap was particularly surprising in Von Eckermann’s case as he currently holds the title for the world’s No 1 and was evidently the Olympics‘ favorite to win gold this year.
During the incident, it seemed that Von Eckermann’s horse, King Edward, lost his balance after coming down from a jump.
The horse proceeded to gallop towards the side of the track where he stopped suddenly and threw Von Eckermann forwards. The athlete crashed into a decorative piece laying next to the arena.
Things were going well for the Swedish athlete at the start of the match. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Although the fall looked rough, Von Eckermann quickly got up and dusted himself off, following his horse who had galloped off into another direction.
The Swedish athlete previously won gold in team jumping at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and won two gold medals during the 2022 FEI World Championships in jumping.
Viewers on Twitter were quick to notice the freak accident with one going so far as to describe this year’s Paris Olympics as ‘cursed’.
“Nah this Olympics is cursed, did you guys just see what happened in showjumping??,” they wrote on Twitter.
“Contextually this is the #1 show jumper in the world like I’m so baffled,” they added.
It seems Von Eckermann’s horse lost its balance and flung its rider to the side. (Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Another user chimed in writing: “Not sure what’s going on with Paris but it’s definitely been weird. I hope both the horse and the rider are okay though. The horse literally said ‘ight imma head out’ omg.”
Meanwhile, Azcarraga narrowly avoided being thrown into a pool of water situated in the middle of the track.
Footage sees the Mexican showjumper clinging onto his horse’s reins as he was flung off.
Azcarraga’s match was also going smoothly before the accident. (PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP via Getty Images)
Von Eckermann and Azcarraga are unfortunately joined by a series of mishaps all across the board at this year’s Olympics.
Most notably, several swimmers have been experiencing issues after swimming and competing in the River Seine.
Canadian triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk shockingly threw up on live television on July 31 after finishing the triathlon race.
Whatever is going to happen next?
