| Nicknames |
Jani (samshield.com, 28 Sep 2013) |
| Memorable sporting achievement |
Competing at the 2011 Nations Cup event in Bratislava, Slovakia. "This memory means a lot to me as it was the only Nations Cup event where I rode together with my father." (Instagram profile, 18 Feb 2021) |
| Most influential person in career |
Her father Hansueli Sprunger. (worldofshowjumping.com, 21 Mar 2019) |
| Hero / Idol |
Her mother Dominique Sprunger, French jumper Penelope Leprevost. (pferdewoche.ch, 07 Jan 2015) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto |
"You develop from your own interest. Obviously you have to work hard and be patient, but it's not only about hard work - also about how you work and with who you work. The importance of being open-minded and learning from others - I cannot underline that enough." (worldofshowjumping.com, 22 Mar 2019) |
| Famous relatives |
Her father Hansueli Sprunger has represented Switzerland in equestrian jumping and also played professional football. Her brother Michel has played professional football for Swiss team FC Winterthur, and she is also related to Swiss ice hockey player Julien Sprunger. Her husband Henrik von Eckermann has represented Sweden in equestrian jumping. He won gold in team jumping at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and also claimed gold in the team and individual events at the 2022 World Championships in Herning, Denmark. (SportsDeskOnline, 13 Oct 2022; jump-inside.com, 24 Aug 2018; watson.ch, 19 Aug 2016; edouard-rothschild.com, 11 Jan 2015) |
| Other information |
STABLES
In 2020 she and her husband Henrik von Eckermann bought a property from Dutch equestrian Emile Hendrix in Kessel, Netherlands. In April 2021 they moved from their original base in Bonn, Germany, to the Netherlands and have since been operating Cyor Stables in Kessel. "The next step for us would be owning horses together, investing, producing, and selling them ourselves. We both have a strong family background and value that a lot, so it would only be natural that we end up doing it together." (Instagram team profile, 09 Apr 2023; schweizer-illustrierte.ch, 12 Jan 2023; fundis-reitsport.de, 20 Dec 2021; blick.ch, 04 Jun 2021; st-georg.de, 10 Apr 2021; spring-reiter.de, 09 May 2020)
HORSE TRAINER
Her father Hansueli Sprunger encouraged her to train her own horses from an early age. "My first horse was only five when I got it. Already back then I had to build them up myself. My dad told me that this was the way we had to work, we could not afford a horse for me otherwise. I started at 1m level and brought the horse up to 1.40m while I was a junior rider. Then we sold it and my next horse - which I took over from my dad - I brought to the European championships, winning my first team gold medal." (worldofshowjumping.com, 21 Mar 2019) |
FEI Database
www.facebook.com/janika.sprunger 
instagram.com/janikasprunger 
