Bruce Springsteen’s daughter Jessica misses out on an individual Olympic medal: Equestrian fails to qualify for the show jumping final as she makes her debut in Tokyo – but will still get a shot at team gold later this week

• The 29-year-old daughter of Bruce Springsteen, 71, and Patti Scialfa, 67, clinched a spot on Team USA’s show jumping team for the Tokyo Olympics 
• She failed to earn one of the 30 qualifying spots for the individual jumping finals today, landing in an 11-way-tie for 31st place
• Her teammates are Kent Farrington, 40, and Laura Kraut, 55, also failed to qualify, while reserve McLain Ward, 45, didn’t compete
• She is still likely to compete with her horse Don Juan Van de Donkhoeve in the team jumping event on Friday 
• Jessica, who has made almost $2 million in her equestrian career, began riding at age four and ranks 14th in the world
• Find out the latest Tokyo Olympic news including schedule, medal table and results right here

Jessica Springsteen made her Olympic debut in Tokyo today but narrowly missed out on a spot in the individual jumping finals.

The 29-year-old daughter of Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band wife, Patti Scialfa, was eliminated from the individual competition during the qualifying round, finishing in a tie for 31st place — with the top 30 getting the chance to go for the gold.

But Jessica, who is ranked 14 in the world in show jumping, may get another shot at bringing home a medal on Friday during the jumping team event.

‘All in all, I’m thrilled with the round and I’m excited for the rest of the week,’ she said, according to the AP.

Born to ride! Jessica Springsteen made her Olympic debut in Tokyo today

Tough luck: But she narrowly missed out on a spot in the individual jumping finals

She was eliminated from the individual competition during the qualifying round, finishing in a tie for 31st place — with the top 30 getting the chance to go for the gold

A-list offspring: The 29-year-old is the daughter of Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band wife, Patti Scialfa 

Jessica made the US Olympic team back in June alongside teammates Kent Farrington, 40, Laura Kraut, 55, and McLain Ward, 45.

She reportedly had a strong start on the 14-jump course today, where obstacles were adorned with life-sized sumo wrestlers, geisha kimonos, cherry blossoms, and even a miniature recreation of a Japanese palace.

But her horse, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion named Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, got uneasy around the 11th obstacle, and they earned four penalty points for knocking down a rail, ultimately missing out on one of 30 spots in the final.  

She tied for 31st place with 10 other athletes, including her teammate, Kent Farrington. 

Teammate Laura Kraut did not make final either, coming in at 44th, while McLain Ward did not compete at all. 

Though Jessica lost her chance at medaling in the individual event, she could still achieve Olympic glory with the team jumping event on Friday.

Team USA won silver in 2016, and bronze in both 2008 and 2004. Her teammates all already have medals. 

Only three of Team USA’s four members will ride in the team competition, and McLain Ward and his horse Contagious have already been designated as reserves for the team — meaning Jessica is likely to be one of the riders later this week.

However, the team lineup could still change before Friday. 

Jessica previously gushed to Vogue about the excitement of going to the Olympics while laying praise on her teammates.

‘This has been my dream since I first started riding, so it all still feels surreal,’ she said. ‘My teammates are riders I’ve looked up to throughout my career, as well as former Olympians, so I’m really looking forward to sharing this experience with them.

‘It’s always an honor to represent my country, and to be doing so at the games is something in which I take great pride.’

‘All in all, I’m thrilled with the round and I’m excited for the rest of the week,’ she said

Creative: Obstacles were adorned with life-sized sumo wrestlers, geisha kimonos, cherry blossoms, and even a miniature recreation of a Japanese palace

‘This has been my dream since I first started riding, so it all still feels surreal,’ she said

‘Don is a really talented horse, and we have formed a solid partnership over the past two years,’ she said

She also opened up about her relationship with her horse.

‘Don is a really talented horse, and we have formed a solid partnership over the past two years,’ she said. ‘If there’s a weak point I might think we have, we will practice it at home, but mainly I’m just exercising him to get him in peak condition. 

‘He has a lot of energy, so I work towards getting him as relaxed as possible, so he’s focused and we’re in sync when we compete.’

Though she’s no doubt looking forward to the rest of her time in Tokyo, she also said she can’t wait to get back home to her loved ones.

‘I am the most excited to go home and be with my friends and family,’ she said. ‘I wish I could share this experience with them, but I feel their support from home.’ 

Speaking to the Today show last month, Jessica said her Grammy-winning dad, 71, and musician mom, 67, ‘were so excited’ when she made the team after a lifetime of supporting her in the sport.  

‘They were so excited. They’ve supported me since I was little, and this has been a huge dream of mine ever since I can remember,’ she said.

Exciting: Last month, the equestrian said her parents are ‘so proud’ and ‘so happy’ that she is competing in the Olympics

‘The sport has become such a passion for them as well, and we’ve been on this journey together, so they’ve been so proud of me, so happy,’ shesaid 

Partner: Jessica is riding Don Juan Van de Donkhoeve, who ‘has a lot of energy, so I work towards getting him as relaxed as possible’

Team: She was one of four names announced by the sport’s governing body, US Equestrian, in June — alongside Kent Farrington, 40, Laura Kraut, 55, and McLain Ward, 45 

‘The sport has become such a passion for them as well, and we’ve been on this journey together, so they’ve been so proud of me, so happy,’ she added.

Jessica secured her spot on the four-strong squad during a competition in France in June.

She was previously an alternate for the London 2012 team, but didn’t make the cut for Rio 2016.  

Now on the team, she is thrilled to be with such experienced athletes.

‘I’ve admired these riders throughout my career, so to be named to the team with them is such a huge honor,’ Jessica said =. ‘They have so much experience, they all have medals from the Games, so I’m really looking forward to it.’ 

Jessica, who is the second of Bruce’s three children with wife Patti, opened up earlier this year about her ‘dream’ of representing Team USA in an international championship, according to NJ.com.

She earned spot in France when she won the 4* Grand Prix Hubside Jumping Tour with a top time of 36.16 seconds (pictured August 2019) 

‘My dream is always to represent the United States in championships, so I am definitely always working toward that,’ she said. 

‘I feel like I have a really good group of horses jumping great right now, so I will just keep doing my best.’ 

Jessica, who has made almost $2 million in her equestrian career, is currently ranked third in the country. She clinched the Olympic spot last month in France when she won the 4* Grand Prix Hubside Jumping Tour with a top time of 36.16 seconds.

Shortly after the team announcement was made last month, Jessica celebrated the news on her Instagram Stories, where she re-shared a post from US Equestrian in which she and her teammates were named. 

Jessica, who graduated from Duke with a major in psychology in 2014, has been riding horses since the age of four.

She trained on her family’s 368-acre farm in Colts Neck, New Jersey, after her parents relocated from Los Angeles in order to raise their children away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi.

Love: Neither her parents nor her boyfriend, Italian rider Lorenzo De Luca, are able to join her in Tokyo due to COVID-19 rules

Rich kids: Jessica (far right) is pictured with Eve Jobs, Hannah Margaret Selleck, and Georgina Bloomberg

After she graduated from college, Jessica moved to Valkenswaard in the Netherlands so that she could focus on her sport. 

Equestrian gold medalist Melanie Smith Taylor told the New York Post that the Jessica ‘has really come into her own this year.’ 

Smith Taylor, who won the top honors in 1984, previously said that Jessica has sought to carve out her own path in her sport. 

‘She has said early on that she didn’t want to be known as Bruce Springsteen’s daughter alone,’ Smith Taylor said. 

Sadly for Jessica, her family is unable to watch her at the Olympics in person — and neither is her boyfriend, Italian rider Lorenzo De Luca.

In order to maintain health and safety standards amid the ongoing pandemic, the International Olympic Committee has banned athletes’ family members and friends from attending the Games.  

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