Thomas Müller's horse wins gold at Paris Olympics

Bayern Munich and Germany legend Thomas Müller has a long association with equestrianism and is now celebrating a horse he co-owns winning a gold medal for its rider, Christian Kukuk, at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Müller is a co-owner of Checker, a 14-year-old grey gelding whose leaps over the showjumping fences at Versailles on Tuesday earned Kukuk a gold medal for Germany. 

"It's golden - we are Olympic winners!", the Bayern legend wrote on his Instagram account to greet the news. He published a video congratulating both Kukuk and Checker while also expressing his gratitude to new coach Vincent Kompany for holding training in the afternoon so Müller could watch his horse in action on TV in the morning.

Watch: The best of Thomas Müller in 2023/24

"Hats off to what you have done with Checker in the last year and a half. I am so excited. Let yourself go and celebrate now," said Müller in his congratulatory video. The gold-medal-winning rider had thanked him in an interview in France after his triumph, saying Müller's co-ownership was vital in allowing him to continue to compete on the horse.

Müller has admitted in the past to "catching the horse bug" from his wife, Lisa, a competitive dressage rider. He has said: "Horses are very friendly creatures, they are partners and companions who emit calm along with strength and elegance." 

Along with an astonishing 12 Bundesliga titles, six DFB Cups, two UEFA Champions Leagues and a World Cup win, Müller now has something quite different to celebrate before he seeks to add to that tally in the upcoming 2024/25 season. 

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