Bruce Springsteen's Daughter Makes Her Olympic Debut

Jessica Springsteen falls short in solo qualifier, still has a chance for medal in group event
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 3, 2021 11:21 AM CDT
Springsteen's Daughter Falls Short in Olympic Qualifier
United States' Jessica Springsteen, riding Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, during the equestrian jumping individual qualifying competition.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Jessica Springsteen had no luck going solo in Tokyo. Perhaps, suggests the AP, she'll do better with a band. The daughter of famed rocker Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band wife, Patti Scialfa, failed to qualify for the Olympic individual jumping finals at Tokyo's Equestrian Park on Tuesday night. The 29-year-old's Olympic debut was off to a strong start on the 14-jump course before her horse got uneasy around the 11th obstacle, and the pair earned four penalty points for knocking down a rail. That put her on the bubble of the 73-horse field for one of 30 spots in the final. She was formally eliminated about an hour after riding. She'll ride again Friday as part of America's four-rider entry in the jumping team event.

“All in all, I'm thrilled with the round and I'm excited for the rest of the week," she said. Springsteen learned to ride on her family's horse farm in Colts Neck, New Jersey, and she was an alternate for the London Games in 2012 but didn't participate. She's been riding 12-year-old Don Juan van de Donkehove for about two years, and the duo arrived in Tokyo ranked 14th in the world. In a sport without any household names, Springsteen has generated some rare buzz from Tokyo. Nearly all the mainstream press coverage for equestrian in the US during these Games has focused on Springsteen. On the ground here, about a half dozen members of the Bruce Springsteen Japan Facebook group gathered outside the locked stadium last week to offer support.

(More Bruce Springsteen stories.)

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