I'm still not that far behind, he says to SVT.
After finishing fourth in Thursday's first round, the Swedish team finished seventh in Friday's jumping. They went fast over the obstacles – von Eckermann and Iliana had the fastest time of all – but then came a fall near the end.
"A rider's mistake," von Eckermann concluded, praising his horse.
The feeling was fantastic with her, she couldn't have been better in any way, he says.
Six riders were faultless and advanced to the jump-off. Swiss home rider Martin Fuchs on Leone Jei was the strongest there and won.
Frenchman Julien Epaillard chose to skip the jump-off to save his strength. He and his horse Donatello d'Auge are still leading overall, after winning the first jumping competition.
The 43-year-old von Eckermann can make history if he wins his third consecutive World Championship title. No one has done that in 25 years, since Brazilian Rodrigo Pessoa won three times in a row in 1998-2000.
