McLain Ward of the United States, the newly crowned Longines FEI World Cup™ champion and two-time Olympic team gold medalist, has reclaimed the world No. 1 spot in the Longines World Rankings. With fellow U.S. rider Kent Farrington in second, that means U.S. riders hold the top two spots in the world rankings.

“It is always a great honor to be No 1. It reflects the consistency at the top level that we all strive for. Being named No. 1 in the Longines Rankings immediately after my World Cup win is just a great feeling!” said Ward. His first appearance at the top of the world rankings list came in June 2016.

Ward and his 2016 Olympic mount HH Azur clinched victory at the Longines FEI World Cup™ Finals in Omaha on April 1, bringing the 2016/17 World Cup season to a fairy-tale close and boosting Ward up from fourth to the No. 1 spot in the Longines Rankings.

He replaces Germany’s Daniel Deusser, who has held pole position since January and now drops back to third. Fellow U.S. Olympic teammate, Kent Farrington, remains in second, with Christian Ahlmann of Germany dropping from third to fourth and Eric Lamaze of Canada holding onto fifth place.

Ward made his Olympic debut at Athens 2004 when he was a member of the U.S. gold medal-winning team. He earned a second Olympic team gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong, and finished sixth individually at London 2012. Ward also won individual gold and team bronze at the 2015 Pan American Games (Toronto) with Rothchild. At the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Ward and HH Azur helped the U.S. to team silver.