Equestrian jumper Laura Kraut broke a record after she helped USA earn a silver in the team event this week.
The five-time olympian ran an impressive course on August 2, and her score helped her fellow riders win the silver for the second Olympics in a row. At that time, Laura became the oldest American to win an Olympic medal in 72 years.
According to the Guardian, “At 58, she is the oldest American to medal at the Olympics since Everard “Ducky” Endt, who won a sailing gold medal at the Helsinki Games in 1952 at the age of 59.”
Laura is no stranger to medals, either. Alongside the Olympic jumping team, Laura earned gold in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and silver at the last Olympic games in Tokyo.
You can watch Laura Kraut’s gorgeous run here.
Olympic Team Jumping Oldest Medal Winner
![Laura Kraut Silver medal jumping olympics](https://www.inspiremore.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-03-at-8.03.59 AM.png)
Another famous name is her horse, Baloutinue. The event commentator mentioned that Laura Kraut and Baloutinue had “by far the fastest round of all.” Even Laura was impressed with her steed. She told commentators, “he is so fast he reminds me of a thoroughbred.”
The duo first met as Laura was preparing for the Tokyo Olympics. While they ended up being the perfect match, Laura admitted she had very little time to get aquatinted with Baloutinue.
“I hardly knew him at all,” she said, per the commentator. “We hardly knew what he liked to eat.”
Nonetheless, Laura and Baloutinue helped the Olympic jumping team take silver in that event when she was 55 years old.
The Dynamic Duo: Laura Kraut and Horse Baloutinue
As the announcer added, “Laura is a naturally fast rider, and this horse is a naturally careful horse, meaning he doesn’t like to touch the fences.” Spectators could see the validity in both statements as Baloutinue flew over the hurdles effortlessly, and Laura got an impressive speed of 77.45 seconds.
Another area that Laura Kraut is thriving in is her family life. Commentators tell the crowd that she recently became a grandmother. Gaining medals and having grandbabies, Laura Kraut is having the time of her life.
The source of the featured image can be found here.
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