ABOUT JULIA
Julia Krajewski was born on 22 October 1988 in Langenhagen, Lower Saxony. She is one of the most successful German eventer in a sport in which women compete on equal terms with men.
Julia is a Master in Equestrian Management in the equestrian instruction sector.
Julia is also a former active member of the German Army Sports Corps.
Since November 2016, she has also been working as National Coach for Junior Eventers in the German Equestrian Federation.
In August 2021 at the 2020 Olympic Games on Tokyo, Julia won the gold medal in the individual eventing competition.
Julia Krajewski is the oldest child of “Christina and Paul Krajewski”. She has two younger sisters and grew up in Klausheide near Nordhorn, Germany. The family’s connection to riding came about through Julia and her sisters. In this respect, unlike many other successful eventing riders, Julia was unable to call upon an “inherited network” but had to work everything out for herself from day one.
After graduating from high school, the Gymnasium (Highschool) Georgianum in Lingen, she completed her apprenticeship as a Horse Manager (Pferdewirt) specialising in riding, and finished the year as the “best in her class” in 2009. In 2012, she followed this by successfully passing the examination to become a “Master in Equestrian Management” (Pferdewirtschaftsmeister), specialising in Riding Instruction. In parallel to her active career, she also studied for three years at the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) in Cologne and has been a “Qualified Equestrian Coach” since 2015.
Aged just five, Julia learned how to ride on her own pony, a Dartmoor cross called Tibo and had her first tournament placings aged seven. Julia’s passion was clearly for eventing, which is why she then began “cross-country riding”. This was followed by numerous championship successes in tournaments in her age classes, at the German and European Championships as well. She won a total of 10 medals, 5 of which were gold medals, at the Junior European Championships.
The German Olympic Equestrian Committee (DOKR) became aware of Julia and recognised her talent, receptiveness and work ethic. She was asked to join the Eventing Prospects Group in 2007 to receive even more support on her path into elite sport. The following years were defining in shaping the direction of her career.
Julia was employed as a “military sports person” in the German Army’s Sports Promotion Group between 2009 and 2012. She is still active as a reservist in the Sports Promotion Group at the German Army’s Sports Academy in Warendorf.
Her first international championship as a “senior” equestrian was at the 2011 European Championships in Luhmühlen where she was the only woman to start.
Riding London-Return OLD, she then competed in her first CCI 4* test (the highest class in the discipline, now reclassified as 5*) in June 2013 in Luhmühlen, and represented Germany in her first Nations Cup.
The brown 5-year-old gelding Samourai du Thot came to Julia. She continued to train him over the next few years and rode him in international eventing from 2012 onwards. In September 2014, the gelding completed his first 3* test (now 4*), and in May 2015 horse and rider won the CIC 3* (now 4*) at the Wiesbaden Spring Tournament. At her second 4* test (now 5*), again in Luhmühlen, in June 2016, she led with Samourai du Thot after the dressage round and finished the test in third place.

