Triumph in Sydney
German Olympic champion mourns the death of the gold stallion
January 15, 2026 – 2:00 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Ludger Beerbaum made history with his stallion Goldfever. Now the German Olympic champion is mourning the animal.
The well-known show jumper Ludger Beerbaum has to mourn the loss of his former successful horse Goldfever, who died at the age of 35. The stallion was instrumental in winning the 2000 Olympic gold medal in Sydney and leaves behind an impressive career with two million euros in prize money.
Goldfever died in his home stable in Riesenbeck. Ludger Beerbaum commented on his stable’s website and spoke about the sadness and gratitude for the shared successes: “Of course we are all very sad today that Goldfever is no longer with us – but we also all look back on the successes and the time together with great gratitude and a bit of pride,” Beerbaum was quoted as saying.
The stallion was not only successful at the Olympic Games in Sydney, but also at the center of a doping scandal in Athens 2004. After a positive doping test, the team gold medal was stripped, and Beerbaum received bronze instead after his results were deleted. Goldfever ended his active career in 2009 and collected a total of two million euros in prize money.