The medal ceremony for the Junior Individual Female competition, including champion Antonia Mayerhofer (AUT). © FEI/Libby Law

In a packed arena in Le Mans (FRA), the FEI Vaulting European Championship for Young Vaulters & Juniors 2026 came to a close today. After a week filled with challenges and triumph, new champions were crowned as Europe’s brightest young talents pushed one another to the highest level.

The Junior Males were the first medal winners, with Lukas Heitmann taking the European title for the first time with lunger Hendrik Brϋhl and horse Fuerst Jever. After winning the silver medal at three previous championships, the German dominated the competition from the start. His dynamic, creative freestyle showed effortless grace, earning top marks and the gold medal on 8.633.

Teammate Henry Frischmuth climbed the ranks from fourth place in the first test to finish in second on 8.352, just ahead of Clint Fiskbaek from Sweden on 8.252. Fiskbaek made history by winning Sweden’s first medal in the Junior Male category. Despite a smooth and controlled freestyle, Italy’s Jan Stellahaegi could not hold on to his first round placing and finished just outside the medals on 8.176.

In the Female competition, Austria’s Antonia Mayerhofer produced a final freestyle which had everything, impressing the artistic and technique judges alike. Top marks were also given to her horse, Calcifer, lunged by Maria Lehrmann and together they won gold, a first individual medal for Mayerhofer, on 8.454.

Austria swept up second too as Fanny Seidl (8.303) danced her heart out in a routine filled with complex transitions. Her gentle style was rewarded with the second-best freestyle of the day, launching her onto the podium from an overnight fifth place. Lara Veth completed the line-up on 8.274, winning bronze for Germany just ahead of Dutch athlete Isalotte van Agteren, on 8.253.

The Junior Pas de Deux competition was too close to call ahead of the final four combinations entering the ring. The Austrian duo Julia Hasse and Lara Scherer won the class aboard Aragorn Elmar XV, lunged by Sabine Frauenschuh. Their synchronicity and well-performed exercises earned high scores in the final and cemented their European win, with a total of 7.937.

Ella Louise Eggert and Pia Niemand, on 7.862, made their debut for Germany in Le Mans. With more performance faults they were unable to hold onto their round one lead and finished with the silver medal. But it was near neck-and-neck for bronze going into the last test between Swiss pair Lea Maeder and Lena Nyffenegger and the second Austrian combination of Julia Alber and Eva Koren. A small movement error from the Austrians and clever difficulty from the Swiss sent the bronze medal to Switzerland by a whisker – their 7.789 was just 0.086 ahead of Austria's 7.703.

In the Squad competition, Germany walked away with another gold medal following a solid lead in round one. Vaulting together with Ines Nawroth and Calidor 10, their consistently strong performances were unbeatable on 7.908. Austria took home the silver medal on 7.545 in a nail-biting finish, earning just one hundredth of a point more than the French squad, who won a medal in this category for the first time on 7.544.

Unfortunately, a fall in the first-round free test saw the Italians drop from first to a final fourth place finish on 7.385. The team from Switzerland showed incredible resilience. They battled back from last after the compulsory test, where some movement outside the competition circle spooked their horse, leaving them unable to perform many of the exercises to the required standard. Two beautiful free tests pulled them up to fifth place, not too far behind with a final score of 7.258.

Baptiste Terrier added further to the French medal haul, storming the Male Young Vaulter class to take the gold medal on 8.368. Despite looking slightly nervous as he began his final test, he settled in with Corazon Gran and Benita Julia Golze and finished on a high with a brilliant dismount to seal the win.

Germany’s Arne Heers, on 8.273, held his overnight silver medal position despite a couple of balance errors within his freestyle. He won a first medal with his mother, Anika Heers, lunging. Compatriot Leonel Gelke, on 8.184, fought off strong competition from Austria’s Daniel Klotz-Dedora. However, Gelke’s fully embodied characterisation and originality earned the top artistic scores of the round and secured his position on the podium.

The final gold medal went to Switzerland's Leonie Linsbichler, Simone Aebi and Invisible B, who scored 8.300. Their flawless free test was rewarded with top scores, which combined with Invisible’s horse scores of over eight to earn their first individual FEI medal. Despite some errors in her final round, Austria’s Clara Ludwiczek, on 8.207, held on to her overnight silver medal position, showing that her quality at Young Vaulter level already nearly matches that which she achieved as a Junior.

Jeanne Braun, on 8.104, brought home another medal for the host nation in their most successful Junior and Young Vaulter Championship to date. A vision in white, her strong freestyle performance pulled her up the rankings from an overnight fifth place. Sweden's Nora Sandberg Muller could not quite hold on to her overnight medal position. Too many deductions throughout her final test meant she had to settle for sixth place on 8.003.

Fine margins defined champions and medal winners over the course of the competition. With equestrian excellence being rewarded and history made, it was a competition full of talent, skill and promise for the future.