Rock superstardom reached Tokyo Equestrian Park on Tuesday when Bruce Springsteen’s daughter was set to make her Olympic Games debut.
Jessica Springsteen, daughter of ‘The Boss’ and Patti Scialfa, is the youngest member of the United States’ show jumping team.
At 29, she is rated among the sport’s brightest stars, with an Olympic team medal a distinct possibility alongside world-renowned performers in Kent Farrington and Laura Kraut.
Jessica lined up in the individual qualifier on 12-year-old stallion Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, currently ranked in the world’s top 15, hoping to finish among the leading 30 riders from more than 70 starters and book a place in Wednesday’s individual final.
Her parents were expected to be watching on television at home in California as the four-day show jumping programme began at an empty stadium.
“This is not only my first Olympics, but also my first championships,” Springsteen said. “I am so excited to represent my country at this level.
#USAJumping accepted at the #TokyoOlympics ✅ #TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/8kzs2tItIA
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“It is something I have always dreamt of, and I am just really looking forward to the experience.
“Just to be selected on this team that I have looked up to throughout my career has been a huge honour for me.”
Springsteen feels that her horse, a Belgian Warmblood, has prospered from an extra year’s training following the Tokyo Games’ postponement last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Me and Don have been able to build on our partnership over this last year,” she added.
“And when it came time to the selection events, I felt really confident how far we had come.
“When I got Don he was jumping up to three-star level, so I kind of brought him up to this level. It was about fine-tuning everything, getting used to jumping these bigger tracks.
“I think your natural reaction when you are jumping big is you want to ride a little bit stronger.
“But with him, he doesn’t need that. He just rides off my feeling and I can trust his scope and quality.”
And it might be that at some point over the next few days, Springsteen will be the latest family member taking ownership of a gold disc.
