With her gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Julia Krajewski made history in 2021. It was a great triumph, but the 36-year-old has also experienced numerous setbacks in her impressive career. In the new episode of the CHIO Aachen Podcast, she talks about the extraordinary moments - both positive and negative - and reveals why her coach made her cry as a young rider and what the secret to efficient mucking out is.

Warm temperatures, peace, and intensive work with the horses – this combination pretty much describes Julia Krajewski’s life, and not just during the summer months anymore. The successful eventing rider spent her first winter in Rome at the stables of her boyfriend, Pietro Roman, taking a big step forward. For 17 years, she was at the German Olympic Committee for Equestrian Sports (DOKR) in Warendorf, but last year she decided to move to Italy. “In Warendorf, you’re in an environment where everyone sees what you’re doing. In Rome, I take care of myself; no one is constantly watching how many horses I’ve ridden or whether I went to the beach or skiing. There’s just more peace, and it’s good for me,” the 36-year-old sums up after her return to Germany.

One thing that is still difficult for her, despite her efforts, is learning her new country’s language: “It’s easier to win a four-star competition than to learn Italian – at least for me,” she admits with a laugh. That Julia Krajewski can now enjoy “la dolce vita” – the sweet life – wasn’t always the case. For a long time, she always gave 120 percent. “Now, maybe sometimes 80 percent is enough, and then I can give 120 percent when it counts, so it all averages out to 100 percent. And that’s okay.” Still, she’s realized that extended breaks aren’t really her thing: “Last year, I took a ten-day vacation for the first time, and it was too long for me.”

In addition to working with her own horses, Krajewski is also active as a coach and trainer, so boredom isn’t an issue. Another quality she attributes to herself – and that her students appreciate – is her honesty. “Even when I try to be diplomatic, you’ll always get an honest answer from me. You don’t develop if you’re fooling yourself and sugarcoating things,” she’s convinced. She adopted this philosophy from her longtime coach, Rüdiger Schwarz, whose direct manner once brought her to tears in her earlier years.

Ultimately, this training, combined with her structured, solution-oriented approach, has brought her to where she is today: among other achievements, she is a two-time winner of the UBS-Cup at the CHIO Aachen and, of course, the individual Olympic champion from Tokyo. The Games back then took place in the middle of the covid pandemic and therefore without spectators. But for Julia Krajewski, the moment of triumph was no less beautiful: “Winning gold in Tokyo was something between me and my horse, and really very emotional.”

To hear about other moments in Julia Krajewski’s career that have moved her, and where she really lets off steam, listen to the new episode of the CHIO Aachen Podcast. You can find it here and wherever podcasts are available.