Jessica Springsteen, the daughter of rocker Bruce Springsteen, won a silver medal with the U.S. equestrian jumping team at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, falling behind Sweden in a jump-off.
Springsteen earlier failed to qualify for the Olympic individual jumping finals.
Springsteen, 29, came out strong on the 14 jump course before her horse became hesitant around the 11th obstacle and was penalized four points for knocking down a rail. The error put Springsteen on the bubble for one of the 30 qualifying spots, she was informed of her elimination just an hour after her ride.
“All in all, I’m thrilled with the round, and I’m excited for the rest of the week,” Springsteen said.
Springsteen is riding a 12-year-old horse, Don Juan van de Donkhoeve. The duo was ranked 14th in the world coming into the Tokyo Olympics.
The equestrian events in the Olympics are often overlooked, but this year Springsteen has created quite a bit of publicity. Japanese fans of her father, Bruce Springsteen, have been seen gathering outside of stadiums she competes in to cheer her on.
The rider has done her best to focus on competition and denied many one-on-one interviews. When she does decide to answer questions, the public relations staff screens the questions to assure there is no discussion of family. Springsteen is locked in and will only discuss her Olympic competition.
