Aleksandra Maksakova Retires Tokyo Olympic Ride Bojengels From Sport

Dressage

Palestine

Russian-Palestinian Aleksandra Maksakova has announced the retirement from sport of her Olympic mount, Bojongels.

Bojengels is a 17-year old KWPN gelding by Samba Hit II out of Gwen (by Aktion x Optimaal). He is bred by J. Lips-Reynen.

From Juniors to Seniors

Originally named Bentley, the chestnut sold to the Maksakova family in 2013 as a 7-year old.

Riding for Russia, Aleksandra briefly competed him for one season at international junior level in 2015, but her main focus at the time was on her number one young riders' horse, Scampalo.

The pair resurfaced in 2019 when "Sasha" made the transition to Under 25 Grand Prix level. The CDI Roosendaal in May 2019 was their first CDI at that level.

She competed Bojengels at the 2020 European Under 25 Championships in Pilisjaszfalu and finished 17th in the Kur. In the autumn of 2020 she made the transition to the senior division to put herself in the running for Russian team selection for the Olympics. Her efforts paid off and she rode down the centreline in Tokyo for the ROC team (Russia was not allowed to fly its flag because of the WADA ban). She finished 53rd in the Grand Prix with 63.898%. At the 2021 European Championships in Hagen six weeks later she was 61st with 65.202% in the Grand Prix.

Russia - Lithuania - Palestine

As of 2 March 2022 the FEI Board took an Emergency Board Resolution to prohibit the participation of all Russian and Belarusian Athletes, Horses and Officials in international events because of the war in Ukraine.

Five days later the FEI passport of Maksakova's horse Bojengels changed, listing him as owned by the Lithuanian company UAB Sportiniu zirgu investicija. Aleksandra continued to compete at national level in The Netherlands, where she is based with her husband, Russian show jumping rider Egor Shchibrik.

In December 2022 Egor and Aleksandra both declared for Palestine, but Aleksandra has not yet made her international show debut under the new flag.

Retirement

Today, Aleksandra announced the retirement of her number one Grand Prix horse in the barn.

"That was perhaps one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make, as well as one of the most difficult posts to write," she took to Instagram. "Even though Bubu is 17 and could still compete on the International level, I have made a decision to retire him from sport."

She explained, "Bubu always tried so hard for me to do everything at his best, but in the last couple of months I felt that he no longer enjoyed it. As a token of my gratitude to him I decided to retire him from sport. But of course we will still enjoy our rides at home and hacks in the forest."

Maksakova trains with German Johannes Rueben.