Jessica Springsteen

Jessica Springsteen is an Olympian equestrian who got her first taste of Olympic glory in 2021 when she helped the United States to win silver in the Team Jumping tournament at the delayed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The medal was the culmination of years of hard graft and progress that saw her win the American Gold Cup and various Grand Prix and FEI Nations Cup titles. She also triumphed at the 2019 Global Champions Tour event, held in St Tropez, France.

Yes, Springsteen is related to the other famous Springsteen — rock icon Bruce is her father. She was born in Los Angeles in December 1991, but her family moved to a horse farm in New Jersey when she was a child — largely to hide her and her siblings from the paparazzi — and she began horse-riding when she was just four years old. She soon began entering competitions, winning pony-division classes at events such as the Washington International Pony Equitation Classic Final and later progressing to victory in the likes of the ASPCA Maclay National Championships and the George H. Morris Excellence in Equitation Championship.

Soon, Springsteen began enjoying wider national success, such as her team silver and individual bronze at the 2010 North American Youth Championships. Recognition of her position as one of the United States’ most promising young riders came when she began being named as part of FEI Nations Cup teams, helping the US team to numerous victories. After stunning performances throughout 2019 and 2020, she was selected for the Olympic team, helping them to silver in 2021.