Team Germany cruised to the top of the team standings without a blemish on their scoresheet to book the coveted last-to-go spot on tomorrow’s startlist for the Jumping Team Final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Versailles (FRA) today.

Superb clear rounds from all three of the German combinations – Christian Kukuk with Checker, Phillip Weishaupt on Zineday and Richard Vogel with United Touch – produced the only zero score on a day when the bright and beautifully-designed course presented by Spain’s Santiago Varela and Gregory Bodo from France kept the athletes laser-focused and the horses very happy.

Of the 20 nations chasing down just 10 qualifying spots in tomorrow’s team medal decider it was the USA that finished second with just six faults, while Great Britain, Belgium and The Netherlands filled the next three slots with eight faults apiece. Ireland finished sixth with nine faults and the hosts from France finished seventh when putting 12 faults on the board.

There were a few surprises however. The defending Olympic champions from Sweden looked set to join the Germans at the top of the leaderboard until a miscommunication between Peder Fredricson and his brilliant grey gelding Catch Me Not S led to a glance-off at the Graffiti Wall at fence 11. And when they also clipped the middle-element of the penultimate triple combination the resulting 17 faults saw the Swedes land in eighth place, well within the qualified group but a lot lower than expected.

Even more surprising were the 24 faults collected by Team Switzerland who are out of team contention after picking up 24 faults to finish 12th. Instead, the last two qualifying spots went to Israel and Mexico, both on 20, with Team Spain squeezed out by a single time penalty to finish 11th at the end of the day.

First clear

The reigning double world champions and Tokyo 2020 team gold medallists Henrik von Eckermann and the great King Edward were first to clear the course when fifth to go. The 14-year-old gelding normally jumps barefoot, but had front shoes fitted especially for the Games. However, when he lost one en route around the 14-fence track today, von Eckermann has decided to leave him without shoes again for the rest of the Games.

The Swede described King Edward as “a genius of a horse!”. He said he himself wasn’t too relaxed before the competition began but was delighted with the outcome.

“I always think the first track is the worst one because you're not really sure. I mean I know my horse very, very well, but still, you never know - it’s animals, not machines, and you just want to have a good feeling, and you don't know how it is going to be before you do it!”

Henrik von Eckermann

(SWE)

“We know each other very well, and, and I know exactly how to support him. For example, at fence number two I was little bit too deep to the oxer, so he went really high, and then he froze a little bit because he's very careful. If I wouldn't have that trust that we work with then it could have been a bit of a disaster, but he knows what to do and I support him and it's a fantastic feeling together!”, he explained.

Defending individual champion, Great Britain’s Ben Maher and Dallas Vegas Batilly, plus Christian Kukuk and Checker 47, America’s Laura Kraut and Baloutinue, The Netherlands’ Mikael van der Vleuten and Beauville Z and Brazil’s Pedro Veniss and Nimrod de Muze also left the course intact. However, in accordance with the rules, the Brazilian pair were eliminated when a small amount of blood was found on the horse’s side after he left the arena.

Eye-catching

Last to go in the first group of 20 competitors today was the eye-catching Ermitage Kalone who, despite being only a 10-year-old, soared around the course with the greatest of ease for Belgium’s Gilles Thomas. With just single errors from team-mates Wilm Vermeier/IQ van het Steentje and Jerome Guery/Quel Homme de Hus, the Belgians comfortably qualified for tomorrow’s final team test, sandwiched between the British and the Dutch.

For Britain’s Maher it was just a relief to get the competition started. “There has been a lot of waiting around and not knowing what's coming in the first round, but it's a big enough test today and Dallas Vegas was listening and really on point for me so I’m happy”, he said.

 “Normally at these events there's always some different fences and we already see that today. I don't know what the other riders are saying but things are coming quick enough today, it’s quite careful jumping and there are no second chances this week!”

Ben Maher

(GBR)

By far the most influential fence on the course was the penultimate triple combination, with eight horses lowering the vertical on the way in and 24 of the 57 starters kicking out the narrow plank on top of the middle element. It was there that Maher’s team-mate Harry Charles picked up his four faults with Romeo, but he was feeling mighty grateful that he is competing in Paris at all this week after fracturing his right wrist in a fall in Aachen (GER) a few weeks ago.

Fortunately, his father Peter is a former European Jumping champion and could keep Romeo ticking over while his rider spent a short time recovering. “When I got home, I was wearing a brace and I decided that if I could ride at Hickstead last week that I could ride the Olympics. I got back on Romeo 10 days ago and it worked well, no pain, so I said OK we're fine, and that was that, happy days!” Charles explained.

Big stage

His team-mate Scott Brash knows a thing or two about riding on the big stage and was a member of that historic British side that took team gold on home ground in London in 2012. Brash and Jefferson also faulted at that penultimate triple combination, but at the first element this time.

“I was maybe a smidgen too deep and he just touched it on the way up, so maybe it was my fault a bit. I think it was quite an unlucky fault really, so you learn from that ahead of tomorrow, but I was really delighted with how he jumped everything else. He felt like he skipped around!”, he said. Brash took a more careful line to the wall at nine that led to Sweden’s Fredricson running up a big score because it flashed up on a screen before he got up on his own horse. That unlikely incident was a reminder that when it comes to horses you can never be absolutely sure what is going to happen next.  

“I mean it just shows you - Catch Me is 18 years old, he knows his job, he’s a great horse and he's seen so many walls. You’d never expect it . . . so I remembered that I needed to get out wider and get a little bit straighter there”, the Briton explained.

Plain sailing

It was plain sailing for America’s pathfinder Laura Kraut and Baloutinue. It’s hard to believe that Kraut was on the very first all-female US team at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and is still such a dynamic member of her country’s Olympic side 24 years later having pocketed team gold and silver medals along the way.

“I wasn't 100% sure what my plan was going to be because, to be honest with you, the course wasn't really suited to him, but going first I just thought I've got to go in and be quick since time is going to be such a factor, and just have faith that he'll clear the fences. And he did!”

Laura Kraut

(USA)

She likes to add strides with Baloutinue rather than take them out. “That suits him best but you really couldn't add going to the water and I had so much momentum built up that then I thought I'd really love to have six to the next one but that would have interrupted it so much so I felt like I was in a jump-off actually - like he was flying! So I had to settle him back down after that and he was perfect!”

Late call-up

Second in for Team USA, Karl Cook and Caracole de la Roque got a late call-up when Kent Farrington’s Greya was withdrawn. And the new pair more than lived up to expectations when posting the second American clear of the day in spectacular style.

“It's what we were mentally preparing for. We decided the right strategy was to prepare like we were jumping even if we weren’t. I came with blue pants but I packed everything as if I was showing. I had to do it like that so it was easier if I got called with two minutes to go”, he explained.

Compatriot McLain Ward’s single error was at the vertical at fence eight, and only one other horse/rider combination hit that one. He also picked up two time faults with Ilex but he was still pleased with their performance.
 
“I was thrilled. I mean, I knew going in that we had a pretty big margin of error so I made a plan to just be a little conservative and make sure there wasn't a big blow up. It was a very light rub at the fence, but not a big deal and I think all the team performed brilliantly and look very good going into tomorrow morning when everything starts from zero again”, he said.

Very pleased

Meanwhile the German trio were understandably very pleased with their own performances. But Philipp Weishaupt was careful to point out that when it comes to the team podium tomorrow it’s not over until it’s over . . .

“I really feel like we are strong, but everything can happen. There's another eight, nine, teams and it would be no surprise if they are winning so it can go any which way. But in general, we’re in very good shape”, he said.

All three of the German team know Weishaupt’s horse, Zineday, extremely well. “He was ridden as a four and five-year-old by Richie (Richard Vogel) and as a six and seven-year-old by Christian (Kukuk)”, said the man who steered Zineday to individual silver at last year’s European Championship.

Vogel’s United Touch is another of the big talking horses of the sport and today once again the 12-year-old stallion put on a stunning performance. His power over a fence is breath-taking but controlling that has been the biggest challenge for his riders. So what is the plan going into the team medal-decider tomorrow and how did Vogel think it will play out?

“Probably Christian is going to start first, he has the quickest horse and he likes to be in that position and then it's either Philipp or me going next. So that's not decided yet. All riders performed well today. I think all three German rounds were smooth so that makes us optimistic for tomorrow. But we're also aware that it starts from zero, and besides a good starting position there's not so much achieved yet - we will see!”, he said.

 FULL RESULTS

It’s time for the Jumping horses to shine at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and early this morning 80 of the best in the world - including reserves/alternates - trotted up before members of the Ground Jury and Veterinary Panel at the first Jumping Horse Inspection in Versailles (FRA).

Two were held over for re-inspection this afternoon, but neither Contendros 2 ridden by Mexico’s Andres Azcarraga nor French horse Viking d’la Rousserie ridden by Kevin Staut were passed.

That brings Olivier Perreau and Dorai D’Aiguilly into the French team alongside Simon Delestre/I Amelusina R 51 and Julien Epaillard/Dubai du Cedre, while Federico Fernandez and Romeo will join Eugenio Garza Perez/Contago and Hank Guerreiro/Porthos Maestro WHZ in the Mexican side when tomorrow’s first Jumping Qualifier gets underway at 11.00.

All-female

Australia is the only nation to field an all-female Jumping team at the Paris Games, and it is 24 years since the last all-female teams lined out at Sydney in 2000 when the American side of Margie Goldstein-Engle, Lauren Hough, Laura Kraut and Nona Garson finished sixth and Sweden’s Maria Gretzer, Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Helena Lundback and Lisen Fredricson finished seventh.

A total of 30 countries will be represented in Jumping, 20 by teams of three and 15 by individuals, and the best 10 teams in tomorrow’s competition, including those tied for 10th place, will qualify for Friday’s Team Final when they will jump in reverse order of merit.

The first Individual competition will take place next Monday, 5 August, and the top 30 will qualify for the following day’s Individual Final when all combinations will start on a zero score and will compete in reverse order of merit based on their placing in the Qualifier.

Team Germany overtook the first-day leaders from Denmark when the Grand Prix drew to a close at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Versailles (FRA) today, giving them a big boost as they continue on their mission to lift their 15th Olympic Dressage team title.

Great rides from Isabell Werth with Wendy and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera secured pole position at the end of the competition that decided the 10 best nations qualified for Saturday’s medal-decider, the Grand Prix Special, in which all teams will start from scratch.

Joining the defending Olympic team champions, and the feisty Danish side who look set to challenge them every inch of the way, will be the British who finished third ahead of The Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, France, Austria, Finland and Australia. 

There was less than two percentage points between the two top sides, Germany completing with 237.546 while the Danish total was 235.730. The British were not far behind on 231.196.
 
Meanwhile, the 18 athlete/horse combinations that have made the cut for Sunday’s Individual medal decider, the Grand Prix Freestyle, are also confirmed. The finalists are made up of the best two from each of the six qualifying groups plus the six next highest ranked.

The 18 through to the Freestyle are: - Jessica von Bredow-Werndl/Dalera (GER), Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour/Freestyle (DEN), Isabell Werth/Wendy (GER), Charlotte Fry/Glamourdale (GBR), Nanna Skodborg Merrald/Zepter (DEN), Dinja van Liere/Hermes (NED), Carl Hester/Fame (GBR), Daniel Bachmann Andersen/Vayron (DEN), Isabel Freese/Total Hope OLD (NOR), Frederic Wandres/Bluetooth OLD (GER), Becky Moody/Jagerbomb (GBR), Emmelie Scholtens/Indian Rock (NED), Patrik Kittel/Touchdown (SWE), Victoria Max-Theurer/Abegglen FH NRW (AUT), Therese Nilshagen/Dante Weltino OLD (SWE), Pauline Basquin/Sertorius de Rima Z (FRA), Emma Kanerva/Greek Air (FIN) and Sandra Sysojeva (POL), the latter something of a sensation as her mare, Maxima Bella, is only eight years old.

Target score
 
Reigning world champions, Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale, raised the target score to 78.913% when pathfinder this morning. 

“First to go on the second day is not always the best position, but I think in this weather (it was another very hot day) it was really to our advantage. Glamourdale doesn’t know that, he just goes in and sees the crowd and he had a great time in there! And I think the moment at the end was very special, with him very relaxed, on a long rein and enjoying the cheering and the flags waving!”

Charlotte Fry

(GBR)

“That test is what we needed to do today. Our whole team the last two days has really performed amazingly and really put us in a good position for the weekend”, she added. 

However, 30 minutes later, Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour pushed the target even further when posting 80.792% for a lovely test with Freestyle. The mare won double bronze with Charlotte Dujardin (GBR) at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Tryon (USA) in 2018, but has been out of top sport for a number of years more recently. Laudrup-Dufour took up the reins towards the end of 2023, and although they are still finding their way together the new partnership is clearly blossoming. 

Plan

“My plan today was to not push her but just see what she offered. When I picked up the first passage I said to her - you just give me whatever you want and then I'm just gonna say what we are supposed to do. So I'm really proud of her, and I think it was a perfect start for me and her at the Games here in Paris!”, said the Danish star who took team gold and double silver at the FEI World Championship in 2022 with Vamos Amigos.

Talking about building an understanding with Freestyle, she explained, “the main thing has been to really create a proper friendship with her, not just like, pretending, but really see if she could allow me in there, which she did quite quickly. I was quite amazed. Animals are amazing if you treat them well and show them trust. Another key word for me has been respectful leadership. Because in some way I had to be the leader to show her around in a dressage test but at the same time respect where she's coming from, because she's a skilled young lady. She has done a lot and she has been educated amazingly, and she is a performer”, Laudrup-Dufour pointed out.

High score

This first group of the day produced yet another high score when, last to go, Germany’s Isabell Werth put 79.363% on the board with her new ride, Wendy. 

“She was so focused and so with me that it was amazing!”, said the multiple champion who is competing at her seventh Olympic Games. “We have only done six or seven Grand Prix, but it’s so amazing how we are growing together and how honest she is to me”, she said. 

Werth is determined to help the young mare develop, improve and reach her maximum potential. “You can only do that in competition, so Aachen (in June) was really helpful, with three competitions there. She is only a 10-year-old horse and as they get older they get more muscles, they get more power, they get more experience so everything works together. Riding her is really a pleasure”, she added.

Her result bolstered Team Germany’s chances when added to Frederic Wandres’ score of 76.118% from yesterday with Bluetooth OLD. But, with the last ride of the day in the final group, defending Olympic double-gold medallists Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera needed to top up the German total if they were to overtake the Danes and remind everyone that they will be the ones to beat on Saturday.

Style

And they did it in their own inimitable style when scoring 82.065% to seal the deal with dignity and grace. It looked effortless for the 17-year-old mare, whose record includes five European gold medals, back-to-back FEI Dressage World Cup™ titles and team gold at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in 2018 along with her Olympic medal haul from Tokyo three years ago.

“It was a fantastic feeling inside the arena and breathtaking to see how the audience carried us into the ring! I’m happy because I had some hiccups in the Grand Prix at the German Championships in Balve which was the rehearsal for here. But sometimes when the rehearsal is bad then the performance is good, and that’s how it worked out!”

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl

(GER)

She didn’t hold back during the test. “I was really going for it, I took full risk in the extensions and the extended canter! There were two tiny things that didn’t go right but that’s good because now I know there is room for improvement and I can focus on that”, she pointed out.

But she is well aware that Denmark’s Dufour is a major threat and could swing the balance in both the team and individual medal-deciders.

“I didn’t see Cathrine’s test but I know she also had a mistake, so it’s clear she was closer to me than it looks in the result”, von Bredow-Werndl said.

The Danes indeed look ready to tip the scales in their favour if they can. There’s a real cohesion in the team that all three of them have mentioned this week, and Laudrup-Dufour emphasised it again today.

“Nanna (Skodborg Merrald) and I have been riding together since she was four and I was five at her mom's riding school for 15 years. It's not like we see each other every week, but we are really close and we trust each other. I've been in the team many, many, many times, but this team (which includes Daniel Bachmann Andersen) I trust with everything I have, and that's sort of the best feeling you can ride into the arena with really!”, she said.

The battle for Olympic Dressage team glory will resume on Saturday and looks set to be a thriller….

How the Grand Prix Special will play out…..

CORRECTION: Competitors will be divided into three groups of 10 with one Athlete/Horse per National Federation in each group. The Chef d’Equipe must declare which Athlete/Horse combination starts in which group.

Within each group, team Athlete/Horse combinations will start in reverse order of the FEI Grand Prix overall team results.  

Substitutions can only be made up to two hours before the start of the FEI Grand Prix Special (3 August). An Athlete/Reserve Horse that is substituted in cannot compete in the Grand Prix Freestyle as they will not have competed in the Grand Prix, which was the only qualifier for the Freestyle.

FULL RESULTS

Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Zepter threw down the biggest score on the opening day of Dressage at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Versailles (FRA) today, and the Danish team, holders of the World Championship title, now look set to present a mighty challenge to the rest of the field.

The Grand Prix is a qualifier for both the Team Final which takes place on Saturday (3 August) and the Individual Final on Sunday (4 August). The best two horse and athlete combinations from each of the three groups of 10 competing both today and tomorrow will go through to Sunday’s Grand Prix Freestyle along with the next six highest scorers, while the top 10 teams will qualify for Saturday’s Grand Prix Special which will decide the fate of the team medals.

Skodborg Merrald and Zepter were second to step into the awesome arena at Versailles this morning, posting a score of 78.028% that was never bettered. And she feels that she and her horse have a lot more to offer.

“I think I had a really good solid test without big mistakes but also plenty of room for improvement. I think in my changes I couldn’t have done a lot better, but in piaffe-passage and the pirouettes there's still room for asking for more.”

Nanna Skodborg Merrald

(DEN)

The other pair to qualify for the Individual Final from the first group was The Netherlands Dinja van Liere, who was delighted to post 77.674% with the 14-year-old stallion Hermes. 

“I was very happy at the end but a bit stressed before because I really wanted to do a good test of course! We’ve done a lot of competitions, but Olympics are just something else!”, the 33-year-old Dutch athlete said.

She was pleased that Hermes coped well with the heat which grew in intensity as the day progressed. “I think also maybe because of the heat he was quite relaxed and I really could ride him. He was a bit spooky in one corner so there were a couple of bits of tension, a couple of mistakes but I was just very happy with him,” she said.

Having lost out on competing in Tokyo due to a paperwork issue for the horse and then some time out for Hermes while recovering from an injury, van Liere is delighted to have him here in Paris. “We have had just this one goal - and we made it - this really is just a dream!”, she said.

Set the target

In the second group, Germany’s Frederic Wandres set the target at 76.118% when second to go with Bluetooth OLD. 
 
“I have to say thank you to all of those spectators sitting there and watching for hours, this is what makes the atmosphere so special and I really felt that Bluetooth enjoyed it to go in there - he became proud and I was very happy! It is 35 degrees but maybe I had a little bit of a plus point because I was already now four seasons in Wellington (Florida, USA) for our winter season so he's a little bit used to perform in higher temperatures, but always those hot temperatures are something special!”

However, the strength of the Danes became ever more evident when Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Vayron bettered that when putting 76.910% on the board as last to go of this group.

His 13-year-old stallion competed in the Danish side that took bronze at last year’s European Championship, but the horse has matured greatly since then and showed even more confidence and a lot more power today.

“I'm so proud to represent my country at an Olympic Games for the first time and then do a personal-best score by almost a whole percentage - that's quite a thing!”, said the 34-year-old. 

He said it felt like Vayron was on “autopilot” today. “He is now in his second year of Grand Prix so it’s not that he's very experienced, but he's just getting better and stronger and more and more with me. I can't even explain how proud I am of this fantastic horse. He is a bit innocent and a bit shy behind that big, extreme horse you can see, but he just believed he could do it. It couldn't have been better, and of course we have a goal here and we have started out really, really well and I know we can do it. We did it in Herning (World Championship 2022 team gold), and we will try and do it here again!”, he said. 

Clearly the Danes have Dressage team gold firmly in their sights.

Big and powerful

In the third group of 10 it was Great Britain’s Becky Moody who posted the biggest score with a brilliant ride on the big and powerful Jagerbomb. The pair only stepped into the British side just days before the Games began. Moody has never competed in a Senior championship, but she didn’t let that get in the way of clinching a place in Sunday’s Freestyle when putting a remarkable 74.938% on the board. 

“That was insane!”, said the 44-year-old who is based in Yorkshire, England. “What a stadium, what a crowd, it was just an amazing experience! And what a horse, he's so special to me because I bred him so we have done everything together!”

Becky Moody

(GBR)

“We were both a little bit nervous and apprehensive, but we helped each other out and I'm just so proud of him. He loves to be out there, the more people watching him the better, so he had a great time!”

Jagerbomb is a big horse, “about 17.3hh, he kind of kept on growing but he's one of the sweetest horses on the yard. If somebody that was a little bit of a beginner wanted to have a sit on something then the Olympic dressage horse would be the one because he just looks after everyone, he is amazing!” 

Although initially she didn’t think he had what it takes to bring him to top level she ended up keeping the horse that has carried her to the very highest level of the sport. So how did his name come about?

“I bred him 10 years ago, and at that point in my life I might have been partial to a Jagerbomb. But also my grandad, who was called Norman, we all called him Bomb, I don't know why, so it was a little bit of a homage to him as well as to the alcoholic beverage!”, she explained with a laugh.

Winning partner

Sweden’s Patrik Kittel took the last of today’s six Individual Final spots with his 2024 FEI World Cup winning partner, the 12-year-old gelding Touchdown. 

“I've ridden in a lot of hotness, but this is probably one of the best ones! Sweden is third after the first day and hopefully tomorrow maybe in the top five, which is our goal, so we can start on Saturday (in the Team Final) so it is very exciting!”, said the man who is competing at his fourth Olympic Games.

As it stands this evening, Denmark holds the lead ahead of Great Britain, Sweden, Belgium, Canada and Portugal as the six nations that have recorded two scores today, followed by The Netherlands, Germany, Finland, France, Spain, Australia, Austria, Poland and the USA. The Americans lost a team member today due to the elimination of Marcus Orlob’s mare Jane who just knocked herself when she got over-excited coming into the arena, so that has left them with just two scores to count, the 72.593% posted today by Adrienne Lyle and Helix and the score that will be posted by Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper tomorrow afternoon. 

The team standings are likely to get a reshuffle tomorrow however because nine of the 15 nations only fielded a single athlete/horse combination today while the leading six countries were all drawn with two to go. 

Putting the British into second place was the 77.345% posted by Carl Hester who is competing at his seventh Olympics, this time with the 14-year-old Fame. Hester’s compatriot Charlotte Fry and her World Championship individual gold medal ride Glamourdale will be first into the arena tomorrow morning at 10.00 local time. 

And of course the top guns from Germany are also about to step onto the stage, the legendary Isabell Werth riding Wendy into the arena at 11.25 tomorrow, while the defending Olympic team and individual champions Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera will bring the day to a close.

As always, the Olympic Games are filled with emotion, and today Belgium’s Larissa Pauluis made a lot of people cry. As she left the arena having produced a lovely test with the 14-year-old gelding Flambeau for a score of 72.127%, she held her hands up to the television cameras and you could clearly read the words “I promised you” on her right hand, and “I did it” on the left, accompanied by a heart symbol.

Asked afterwards what it meant, she explained that her husband died four years ago and, before he passed away, she promised him she would compete in Paris. “It was really a challenge, he never saw me competing even in Grand Prix and I’m here - so it’s wonderful”, she said tearfully.

For one athlete the promise of Paris 2024 is already complete….

FULL RESULTS

Olympic Equestrian Dressage competitions got underway today with comprehensive heat and humidity protocols put in place by the FEI in response to rising temperatures, in Versailles.

"While we strive for all equestrian events to take place in optimal climatic conditions, it is often logistically challenging to achieve such conditions," explained FEI Veterinary Director Göran Åkerström.

“Thanks to our protocols, horses cooled down swiftly and displayed no signs of heat stress, underscoring the efficacy of our climate mitigation strategies.

"The FEI uses the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) Index as a standard tool for assessing and managing thermal stress.

“The WBGT Index measures solar radiation, ground heat reflection, humidity and windspeed, and is used by several sports as it is the most comprehensive index to monitor the climate’s effect on humans, and in our case, also horses.

“This precise method allows us to accurately gauge the potential for heat stress at events and implement the necessary measures to safeguard our horses' and humans’ welfare. These measures get put in place once the WBGT index is higher than 28 degrees Celsius, and in today’s case the Index reached the high peak of 33.8 degrees Celsius.”

Key measures put in place today included:

• Continuous WBGT Monitoring: Beginning at 09:30 on Tuesday morning, on-site monitoring of climatic conditions was implemented, and the data was crucial in accurately assessing the potential for heat stress on the field-of-play throughout the day.
• Thermal Imaging and Veterinary Supervision: All horses were monitored with advanced thermal imaging technology by a world-class veterinary team. This non-invasive technique accurately estimates body temperature from a distance, allowing for early identification of potential heat stress. Monitoring was conducted at warm-up stages and immediately upon horses returning from the field-of-play.
• Cooling Stations: Further to the two cooling stations in place, three additiona cooling stations were set up across the venue, equipped with cold water, ice, and personnel ready to assist with immediate cooling needs. These stations provided crucial support for rapid temperature reduction of the horses, post-performance.

The FEI has been at the forefront of researching and implementing climate mitigation strategies for equestrian sports, ensuring that athletes, both human and equine, perform safely in all conditions.

These comprehensive measures have been developed and refined since the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, to ensure the safety and optimal performance of equine athletes competing today.

The heat mitigation protocols were developed specifically for high-risk environments like Tokyo 2020 and were adapted to suit local conditions for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024.

Photo caption: Cooling stations were set up across the Paris 2024 Olympic equestrian venue at Versailles, equipped with cold water, ice, and personnel ready to assist horses with immediate cooling needs. © FEI/Liz Gregg

In glorious Versailles sunshine, in front a packed stadium of wildly enthusiastic spectators, the British team of Rosalind Canter (Lordships Graffalo), Tom McEwen (JL Dublin) and Laura Collett (London 52) clinched team gold, while Germany’s Michael Jung (Chipmunk FRH) took the individual Eventing title at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

 

The French hosts had to settle for silver ahead of Japan who held their nerve after having to call up their reserve combination following the final Horse Inspection this morning.

This was a record-breaking fifth team gold for Britain while Germany’s Jung also set a new record when becoming the first three-time individual champion. This was his country’s sixth individual Eventing title.

As the final day of Eventing dawned, the British were holding the lead they maintained in yesterday’s Cross-Country phase when France moved into silver medal spot and Japan rocketed up to bronze. However, two of the Japanese team horses were sent to the holding box at this morning’s final Horse Inspection and when Ryuzo Kitajima did not bring Cekatinka back for re-inspection, the reserve partnership of Toshiyuki Tanaka and Jefferson were called up.

This resulted in the addition of 20 penalties to Japan’s scoreline for substitution, dropping them to fifth behind Belgium in fourth and Switzerland in bronze medal spot as today’s Jumping action began.

Never lost sight

But the Japanese never lost sight of their goal. They sent Tanaka and Jefferson in first - they returned with just 1.6 time penalties over the 13-fence course created by Spain’s Santiago Varela and Gregory Bodo from France. When Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne returned with a clean sheet, and Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street collected just 0.4 time penalties, there were just two penalties to add to their team scoreline. This would see them overtake the Belgians and Swiss at the end of the day with a final tally of 115.80.

Meanwhile, single errors from Karim Florent Laghouag with Triton Fontaine and Stephane Landois with Chaman Dumontceau had to be added to the eight collected by Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo Menthe, so the French piled on 16.40 for a finishing score of 103.60.

The British began with a single mistake from Rosalind Canter and Lordships Graffalo at the oxer at fence six, but Tom McEwen and JL Dublin had a flawless run. When Laura Collett and London 52 dropped only the final fence, this proved influential throughout the round - the result was underpinned. On a score of 91.30 they had gold in their grasp once again.

Thrilled

McEwen was thrilled with the performance of the 13-year-old JL Dublin. Like Collett, he was a member of the gold-medal-winning team in Tokyo three years ago but with another horse.

“Toledo was probably one of the best horses in the world at showjumping in Eventing, so to come out on a day like this with Dubs, he was sensational, class from start to finish, he jumped his socks off! I knew it from the warm-up and following the French (Karim Florent Laghouag) and the noise - I just knew he thought it was all for him! I just had to navigate and steer to help him get the clear!”

Tom McEwen
(GBR)

He described the course as “really clever….a great Olympic course, although longer than I expected”.

The French also had that gold in their sights but Laghouag was satisfied with silver. “We were afraid we were not going to get a medal in our own country so there was a lot of pressure. We are super pleased to have at least silver”, he said.

And for Japan, it was a huge day as they took their first-ever Olympic Eventing medal when standing on the third step of the team podium. They never lost faith, even when things didn’t seem to be going their way today. “It was a tricky morning and really sad for Ryuzo but it sometimes happens, and I believe we still have a chance to get a medal”, said Tomoto after jumping his clear round. They stood firm and in the end their proficiency in the Jumping arena pulled them back into contention.

Strength

Such was the strength of the Japanese side that both Tomoto and Oiwa made it easily into the top-25 final round of Jumping to decide the individual medals.

The nine-fence, second-round track saw horses still fresh and full of running, and many jumped clean and clear once again. Going in order of merit, Oiwa was fifth-last to go and picked up 4.4 faults. And then it was down to the final four who were separated by less than a fence.

McEwen and JL Dublin produced yet another spectacular round and when Collett did likewise she was already guaranteed a medal. Australia’s Chris Burton was sensational from the outset with Shadow Man, joint-third after Dressage and adding just 0.4 to his score in today’s first Jumping round, so when he too went clear second time out he already had silver in the bag and now it was up to Jung to hold on to pole position.

The German star had faltered at the first element of the penultimate double on the first course and he couldn’t afford another mistake. “I was just a bit too much on the inside line to the last combination, I was too close, and he jumped perfect in front but didn’t get wide enough for the oxer, so I need to ride better the second round!” he said afterwards. And that he did, giving one of those exhibitions of classic horsemanship that has made him a legend of the sport for quite some time.

“I tried to stay really focused and concentrated during the whole week and not thinking to the ceremony or the third gold medal”

Michael Jung

(GER)

He obviously was feeling the pressure in his quest for that historic third individual Olympic title and could hardly believe he had done it.

“I tried to say to myself it’s just a normal show. I try to push my horse not too much, to give him the feeling it’s a normal show, although it’s not so easy with so many spectators. In the end I needed to look at the board to see that it’s really true (that he won gold again), and now I need a moment to realise what it means. It’s a very special moment for me”, he said.

Proud day

For Australia’s Burton, who announced that he will be returning to his home country to set up a yard and run his own business, today was a really proud day. He only picked up the ride on his silver-medal-winning horse Shadow Man four months ago after more than two years away from the sport to concentrate on Jumping.

Looking across at Jung and Collett he pointed out “these guys have a special relationship with their horses, but mine is unique because we only got to know each other in March so that’s incredible. We’ve really only done a few events together. We had to do a 3* because I’d been away too long from the sport, then we did a 4* short, another 4* short, a 4* long and we were qualified. Then the selectors wanted to see me do better so I went to one show in Ireland, at Millstreet, and then we came to the Olympic Games which is crazy - I can’t believe it! And the horse goes back (to his owners) I think after this.

“It would be my dream to keep riding him, he’s just the most delightful animal. From the minute I sat on him I thought he was incredible, like we were made for each other, but I think anyone that sat on him would have the same experience I’m afraid, it would break your heart! But what a story we had and what a great time we had in Paris!”
Christopher Burton

(AUS)

And reflecting on picking up team gold and individual bronze on the same day, Collett said, “I never thought this day would come. I was very lucky when I did Ponies, Juniors and Young Riders and each year won an individual medal and then I went into Seniors and realised it was an awful lot more difficult! Things haven’t gone to plan really in any of my Senior appearances. In Tokyo, I thought I should have and could have won an individual medal but things didn’t go to plan, but I’ve luckily learned from my mistakes. We had a very strict plan coming here so that we wouldn’t make the same mistakes as Tokyo and the plan paid off. I’m just so lucky to have been given a second chance.

“Not many people get to go to one Olympic Games, and I was lucky enough to go to two - so I’m very relieved that I managed to pull it off!”, she said.

FULL RESULTS

Ecuador’s Jaime Morillo, an FEI Level 3 Course Designer and Technical Delegate, has been appointed jointly by the FEI and the Pan American Equestrian Confederation (PAEC) as PAEC Sport Development Officer, a role wholly funded by FEI Solidarity. Morillo, who represented Ecuador at the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico 1979, will start in the newly created position on 1 August.

“We are delighted to announce the appointment of Jaime Morillo to this important new role”, PAEC President Cesar Hirsch said. “We undertook a lengthy and very thorough recruitment process and, together with the FEI, we have no doubt that we have found the perfect candidate for the job. Jaime Morillo is a well-known and highly respected figure in the PAEC region through his work within the FEI Solidarity coaching system and Equestrian Sports Educative Events. He is tailor-made for this new position within PAEC and we look forward to welcoming him to our team. We owe a huge debt of thanks to the FEI President Ingmar De Vos and to FEI Solidarity for offering us the funding for this new role that will be central to the continued growth of our sport in the region. Without their support it would simply not have been possible.”

“With the appointment of the highly experienced Jaime Morillo, the equestrian community across the Americas and Caribbean is set for a major boost,” FEI President and Chair of the FEI Solidarity Committee Ingmar De Vos said.

“The Pan American Equestrian Confederation represents a great many athletes, coaches and wider members of the equestrian community from 31 National Federations across the region.

“We are delighted that through FEI Solidarity - which promotes and develops equestrian culture and sport worldwide in a sustainable and structured way - we are able to grow equestrian sport and nurture talent from grassroots to the world stage.”

“I am very happy and proud, but also humble, to join PAEC and to take on this new role for the further development of equestrian sport in the Americas”, Jaime Morillo said. “I believe that my extensive knowledge of the sport in the region will mean that I can make a real difference and I look forward to working with our National Federations to help advance the sport here. It’s a big challenge but one that I can’t wait to get started on. I am going to just put my head down and work as efficiently and intelligently as possible to make this position really deliver.”

In his new role, Morillo will work closely with the FEI Solidarity Department, assisting the 31 National Federations of the Americas to develop their sports structures and systems in the framework of the FEI Solidarity Programme, and facilitating effective knowledge sharing and transfer within the PAEC region. He will work out of his home office in Wellington, Florida (USA), but will also make personal visits to the National Federations, consolidating geographical areas to maximise the efficiency of each trip.

Jaime Morillo was born in Hollywood, California (USA) to Ecuadorian parents, who moved the family back to Ecuador four years later. His passion for horses and equestrian sports developed at an early age and he spent a summer as a junior with Italian Jumping legend Graziano Mancinelli, individual gold medallist at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games. He studied economics and engineering project management at the University of Richmond in Virginia (USA) and, outside college, honed his competition skills with Frances Rowe. He was also coached by Los Angeles 1984 double gold medallist Joe Fargis and team gold and individual silver medallist Conrad Homfeld, who were based with Rowe. During that time, Morillo represented Ecuador in Show Jumping at the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico 1979, finishing 13th with Coppertone in a star-studded field topped by the great American combination of Michael Matz and Jet Run.

Morillo returned to Ecuador in 1980, working for 30 years in engineering and construction with a focus on finance and project management until switching careers when he got his Jumping course designer licence. He also started coaching professionally, graduating through the FEI Levels, and is now a Level 3 Course Designer and Technical Delegate, and a Level 3 coach in the FEI coaching system. He credits four individuals as being influential in nurturing his coaching skills – Ireland’s Liam Moggan and Gerry Mullins, the former FEI Solidarity Director Jacqueline Braissant (SUI) and her successor, Jean-Philippe Camboulives (FRA).

Morillo is fluent in Spanish and English, and also coaches through Portuguese. He holds dual nationality, but his competitive career and his work with the FEI have always been through the Ecuadorian National Federation. He has been based in Florida (USA) for the past seven years.

The recruitment process for the PAEC Sport Development Officer role, which started in January of this year with circulation of the job description to all FEI National Federations, generated 21 applicants of 13 nationalities. Candidates for the post came from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay.

Photo caption: Ecuador’s Jaime Morillo (left) with PAEC President César Hirsch after signing the contract for his new role as PAEC Sport Development Officer 

The Dressage horses came before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Ground Jury yesterday morning in the sunshine at the majestic Versailles (FRA) venue.

Under the watchful eye of Ground Jury President Raphaël Saleh and team, a total of 75 horses, including alternates, from 30 countries  stepped out at the first Dressage Horse Inspection. 

Returning for re-inspection on Tuesday morning (30 July) at 8.00am local time will be Love Me (Zaneta Skowronska-Kozubik - POL), Amplemento (Christian Schumach - AUT) and Malagueno LXXXIII (Jose Daniel Martin Dockx - ESP). 

A total of 15 teams and 15 individual competitors are set to compete in Olympic Dressage.

Dressage has the distinction of fielding the oldest athlete, not just in equestrian sport, but at the entire Paris 2024 Olympic Games - 65-year-old Spanish star and Athens 2004 silver medallist Juan Antonio Jiménez Cobo is ready to wow Versailles fans with 15-year-old grey stallion Euclides Mor.

Draw

The draw for the team medal-deciding Grand Prix, running over two days   (Tuesday 30 July - Wednesday 31 July) with 30 combinations each day, is now live. 

First into the arena at 11.00am local time on 30 July will be Austrian team member Stefan Lehfellner with Roberto Carlos Mt, followed by Denmark’s World Championship team gold medallist Nanna Skodborg Merrald with Zepter.  

Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry, reigning individual World Champion, will lead the way with Glamourdale on day two (31 July), when the team action begins an hour earlier, at 10.00am. 

Each day, athletes will compete in three groups of 10, with Tokyo 2020 double gold-medallists Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and brilliant mare Dalera last to go in Wednesday’s final group. 

Great Britain continues to hold the lead in the Eventing team competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after a thrilling day of Cross-Country action in the magnificent parkland of Château De Versailles today.  

Team Germany - second after yesterday’s opening Dressage phase - today saw a bump off the saddle for Christoph Wahler (Carjatan S) resulting in elimination - putting them 14th of 16 competing nations, as the action resumes with tomorrow’s medal-deciding Jumping phase.

To the delight of the thousands of French fans who turned out to enjoy wonderful sport in the most spectacular of venues today, it is the hosts - Team France - that sit in the silver medal spot. Japan - following three brilliant rounds - have moved up from overnight fifth into bronze medal position,  followed by Switzerland, Belgium and New Zealand in the next three placings. 

The running score of 82.50 for Britain leaves them just 4.7 penalty points ahead of the French, while Japan are 6.6 points further behind.

Meanwhile a masterclass of Cross-Country riding saw Germany’s final team member, Michael Jung (Chipmunk FRH), overtake Laura Collett (London 52) at the top of the individual leaderboard when the British rider picked up time penalties. Adding nothing to his Dressage score, Australia’s Christopher Burton (Shadow Man) held on to bronze medal spot, so it’s even closer in the battle for individual medals.

Jung leads on his score of 17.80 and Collett, who yesterday posted an even higher record-breaking Olympic Eventing Dressage score of 17.50, goes into tomorrow’s final phase on a mark of 18.30, while Burton - on 22.00 - can’t afford any mistakes because fourth-placed Felix Vogg from Switzerland (Dao De L’ocean) is breathing down his neck on a running tally of 22.10.

It’s going to be a nail-biting conclusion when Jumping gets underway at 10.30am local time.

First out

First out on the track today, defending individual Olympic champion Julia Krajewski from Germany, showed just how to tackle it when coming home with Nickel 21 adding only time faults to her scoreline. “I was maybe a bit careful in the beginning - the ground changes a lot and you lose time here and there, but the most important is that he should be happy and fit for the last three minutes, so I didn’t want to push him too much in the beginning. 

“He did everything absolutely perfectly and in the last water I didn’t take the safer option and - he did it like a pro, so that makes me very proud of him! He’s so rideable and honest!”

Wahler was next to go for Germany, but his unplanned dismount suddenly dropped his team out of contention - but that didn’t mean that Jung, going late in the order, and with all the confidence in the world, wouldn’t give it his best shot. He has twice won the individual Olympic title and he’s more than keen to make that happen again. Coming home with Chipmunk FRH in 8 minutes 55 seconds - well inside the time-allowed of 9 minutes 2 seconds - they strutted into the individual lead.    

“Today was a lot of moments to enjoy. Chipmunk made it very easy for me. Every jump was easy - he was so well listening and connected to me, and so powerful galloping”, Jung said. He felt his horse was cruising so easily that they were under absolutely no pressure. “I checked the time, and said ‘OK we have more time at the next fence so slow down, slow down!’ It was an unbelievable feeling. I’m so thankful to have such good horses, and to be at my fourth Olympic Games is a dream. It’s always a special feeling (at Olympic Games), even if it’s the first time here”, he said.

Asked if he is concerned about tomorrow’s final Jumping test he replied, “normally he show-jumps very well and he wasn’t a bit tired at the end today. In fact he felt so good he wanted to do it all over again! It was so enjoyable and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. He’s in top shape at the moment”. 

Amazing Versailles fans 

Like so many of the other athletes, Jung was enthralled by the enthusiasm of the crowds who packed the Cross-Country sidelines all the way around the track. 

“They were unbelievable! So many people are here watching the course, it’s fantastic! And Chipmunk didn’t mind - I think he had so much fun galloping around the park!”

Impressed

Collett described her tour of the track as “Such a buzz!” She decided not to jump the ditch following the drop at fence 16, which proved the undoing of Germany’s Wahler, instead taking the left-hand option. 

“Up until this morning I was planning to jump the right-hand corner, but I watched a few and it looked like the striding to the left corner was a bit easier and more obvious for the horses so I changed my mind. I felt the ditch was a bit of a nothing ditch and there were too many unknown circumstances there about how he would read it and jump it. And with only three strides to the double brush I felt that was an unnecessary risk - some of the first ones that went didn’t make a mistake, but they didn’t understand the question”, she explained. 

While Jung is super-confident about his horse in tomorrow’s deciding Jumping phase, Collett is more reserved about her prospects with London 52. The atmospheric stadium at Versailles will certainly play its part on the final day in this discipline. “He was very spooky in Tokyo with the crowd, so I’m just hoping he will turn up tomorrow like he has the last few days!”, she said. 

It certainly won’t faze Burton who turned away from his lifetime involvement in Eventing for a few years to specialise in Jumping instead, but who was lured back to his original passion when offered the ride on Shadow Man this spring. However, even though the Australian has a world of experience behind him, he’s not taking anything for granted when it comes to tomorrow’s final test.

“I’m trying not to think about that at the moment, I don’t want to get too nervous ahead of tomorrow, so I’ll just make sure the horse is OK and happy this evening, and give him a jump in the morning and see how he feels and hopefully I can do my best!”, he said.

Into contention

Felix Vogg secured the Swiss team’s improvement from seventh to fourth place with his brilliant run with Dao De L’ocean that also left him fourth individually. He came prepared for all the excitement but found himself overwhelmed by how well the relatively inexperienced 11-year-old gelding coped with it all. 

“I began with my plan over the first part of the course but I didn’t get a good ride over the first few fences, so I left the horse to do it himself - and he was fantastic! I knew the crowd would be huge here so I went to Wiesbaden (GER, CCI4* S, which he won) to train this because there the crowd is even closer than here, and I did it to train him especially for the Olympics”, he explained. That certainly paid off today.

And the brilliant Japanese trio of Ryuzo Kitajima (Cekatinka), Yoshiaki Oiwa (MGH Grafton Street) and Kazuma Tomoto (Vinci de la Vigne) were so rock solid when slotting into bronze medal spot. They all have their own British trainers, Oiwa guided by Pippa Funnell, Tomoto trained by William Fox-Pitt and Kitajima working closely with Angela Tucker. They quietly cruised into a medal position when both Tomoto and Oiwa added nothing to their scores.

Credited

Oiwa credited Funnell for the performance that sees them in individual fifth place this evening, loving the Cross-Country experience today. “It was so beautiful - all the way around people cheering for us, the atmosphere was amazing, and this is just an amazing horse. I’ve only been riding him for the last three months but he knows everything! From the beginning I was trying to get the time. Pippa gave me a lot of advice and all the instructions, so it has made it possible for me to do this!”, he said.

Meanwhile, the French have every reason to be very happy with their day today as well. The wall of sound when each one of them set out across the course was extraordinary, the spectators urging them on with every stride. And when Nicolas Touzaint, second-last to go, set sail with Diabolo Menthe there was a Mexican wave of wild cheering that followed him with every stride.  

“It was so amazing, I always expected they would make a lot of noise, but I couldn’t believe how fantastic they were all the way around the course!” However the French are not getting too carried away with it all. As Touzaint said this afternoon “it’s not over until it’s over. Tonight we take care of our horses and spend some quiet time together as a team, because tomorrow there is still a lot more work to be done…..”

FULL RESULTS

Great Britain got off to a flying start topping both the team and individual leaderboards today, after the thrilling opening Dressage phase of Eventing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Versailles (FRA) during which multiple records were smashed.

Both individual leader Britain’s Laura Collett (London 52) and second-placed Michael Jung from Germany (Chipmunk FRH) broke the Olympic Eventing record Dressage score of 19.3 set by America’s David O’Connor and Custom Made at the Sydney 2000 Games. Collett threw down a superb mark of 17.50 when 33rd to go of the 64 starters. And then German ace Jung almost matched that when posting 17.80 a couple of hours later.

Lying equal-third in the individual rankings overnight are China’s Alex Hua Tian (Jilsonne van Bareelhof) and Australia’s Christopher Burton (Shadow Man) who each put a score of 22.0 on the board, while Switzerland’s Felix Vogg (Dao de L’Ocean) is fractionally behind in fifth spot on 22.10 and in sixth is Britain’s Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo) on 23.40.

Super-tight situation

It’s a super-tight situation in the individual standings too with just 8.2 penalty points separating the top 10 individuals and just 11.6 separating the top 20 going into tomorrow’s Cross-Country phase, which is expected to be hugely influential.

And the British team total of 66.70 after Dressage is another Olympic Eventing record, overtaking the previous best of 68.6 posted by Australia at the Beijing Games in 2008.

Defending the team gold they won in Tokyo three years ago, the British tonight have a 7.4 penalty point lead over Germany in second on 74.10, while on 81.20 the Olympic hosts Team France are just ahead of fourth-placed New Zealand on 83.00.

Tom McEwen’s early leading score of 25.80 with JL Dublin put the British on the right path this morning. “Dubs (JL Dublin) was awesome - he loves an atmosphere!”, said the man who helped Team GBR win their first Eventing team gold since 1972 at Tokyo with with Toledo de Kerser, and then went on to win individual silver. 

“He really lit up a little bit more than I was expecting in the first trot and then he was actually super relaxed in the walk, which then caught me out for the first change….but then after that, he put it right back up where we left off, hopefully putting Great Britain in a strong starting position, which is our main goal. And now my aim is to support the girls and to finish on that score”, he said.

Sensational performance

Next up was Collett who produced a sensational performance from London 52 that would prove impossible to beat. They were also in that victorious Tokyo side and, at 15 years old, the brilliant gelding is like a fine wine, continuing to improve with age. 

“I loved every second of it!”, Collett said. “That horse is unbelievable - what he has done throughout my whole career. He’s amazing and he just keeps on delivering, so I’m just very, very grateful to him!” 
She watched McEwen go. “He really went for it and smashed it out of the park and that gave me the motivation not to leave anything behind, to be brave and give it our best shot, and luckily I have a very willing partner”, she said.  

The motivation is certainly there for all of the British contingent. “Myself and Tom were lucky enough to be on the podium (in Tokyo) with a gold medal around our necks, so we want to do it again. We’ve come here with a lot of pressure and expectations, but pressure is a privilege!”, she pointed out. Her equine partner didn’t make it a walk-in-the-park however.  

“It’s been quite testing, because two days ago he was really wild in that arena and naughty, and feral, and I just had to trust that I didn’t want him to be perfect two days ago. He was very good yesterday and it would have been easy to push him in the last ten minutes today, but I saved it for the arena”, she explained. And it certainly paid off.

Wrapping it up for the British side, reigning European double-gold medallists Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo secured fifth place individually with a score of 23.40 to solidify her country’s position at the top of the team order.
 
Process-driven

Talking about her result she said, “I very much tried to stay process-driven today. I’m over the moon with him. We all forget that Walter (Lordships Graffalo’s stable-name) is only 12 years old, yes he won Badminton and the Europeans, but he is still a green horse. I feel like we are still only scratching the surface, particularly in a test like that, which is significantly harder than the tests we normally see”. 

Her assessment for tomorrow’s Cross-Country test is “plenty to jump, plenty of places where you just have to be on your game the whole way around. The time is going to be a big factor of course and that’s where mistakes creep in. I’ve got a plan, I’m open to that plan changing - but I’m going to stay in my bubble, I’ve got a fantastic team around me and hopefully we can get the job done tomorrow”.

The British will certainly all need to keep sharp if they are to stay ahead of Team Germany who are hot on their heels. Second-placed Michael Jung, a man with an incredible record behind him, said he really likes the Cross-Country track. “Every fence is very nicely built and the gallop track is so nice. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow and the rain has been good for the ground. My feeling is that the Cross-Country will be amazing tomorrow”. It’s been a wet day at Versailles today.

Where riding tactics are concerned, he confirmed the opinion of many others - “we need to stay concentrated and to do everything 100% perfect”. 

First to go

Jung’s team-mate and defending individual champion Julia Krajewski, who was first into the magnificent Versailles arena today and who will be first to go again in tomorrow’s Cross-Country test, described the course as “impressive as always, beautifully presented, everything being asked, you can’t underestimate it, the course builder has been very clever. If you ride forward and have an honest horse you will probably do well….I think it’s very clear and very fair”.    

Third-placed Hua Tian joked that his “arrogant” 15-year-old Jilsonne van Bareelhof, who is better known to his friends as Chockx, had a great day today.  “I think for him, he was always going to trot in there and go ‘Oh! I’ve found a venue of similar majesty to myself!’ Or it was going to go the other way and he was going to go over the top about it!” said the three-time Olympian.

“He is the most talented horse I’ve ever sat on in my life”, he continued. “He just goes extra. Last year, he was my first choice for the Asian Games but picked up a little injury the month beforehand. That would be his story. But for me this (Olympic Games) was always his goal and his target. We saved him for many years to come here, and tomorrow we unleash the beast and see what happens!”

It’s all going to kick off again at 10.30am local time as Krajewski leads the way over the track that measures 5,149 metres with a time allowed of 9.02 minutes and 28 obstacles and 41 efforts to be tackled along the way. 

The Paris 2024 Olympic Eventing medals are very much hanging in the balance with plenty of changes expected at the end of what is set to be another really thrilling day.

FULL RESULTS