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Williamsburg (USA) hosted the FEI North American Youth Championships 2024 last week where Children, Pre Juniors, Juniors, Young Riders and U25 classes were all represented, in both Jumping and Dressage disciplines.
Podium winners:
JUMPING
Children Individual Final
1° Agatha Lignelli & Girl Scout with 0/26.50
2° Sophie Segesman & Quitana 11 with 4/27.44
3° Eva Mackenzie & Debbie Harry with 2
Full results HERE
Pre-Junior Riders Individual Final
1° JJ Torano & Kybalia Smh/svn with 0.29
2° Isabella Welick & Toucare KdwZ with 5.65
3° Taylor wood & Sunjoy Z with 5.69
Full results HERE
Junior Riders Team Final
1° Zone 4 with 15.12
2° Zone 2 with 25.68
3° Zone 3/8/9 with 33.35
Full results HERE
Junior Riders Individual Final
1° Clara Propp & Cocolina with 3.91
2° Isabelle Ehman & Magnolia with 4.00
3° Reese Merna & Havanna C2 with 4.65
Full results HERE
Young Riders Team Final
1° Zone 2
2° Mexico
3° Zone 5
Full results HERE
Young Riders Individual Final
1° Mia Bagnato & Ballyoskill Big Bucks with 2.52
2° Ana Sofia Legorreta Hernandez & Yoga Santa Rosa with 3.29
3° Hunter Champey & High Hopes SFN with 5.28
Full results HERE
DRESSAGE
Junior Riders - Team Championship Test
1° Region 3 with 198.4545 Points
2° Region 4/5/7 with 198.060 Points
3° Region 9 with 197.302 Points
Full results HERE
Juniors Freestyle
1° Virginia Woodcock & Mollegardens Sans-Souci with 72.635%
2° Claire Tucker & Finnur with 72.150%
3° Laila Edwards & Farah-Jade with 71.400%
Full results HERE
Young Riders - Team Championship Test
1° Region 3/5 with 207.707 Points
2° Canada with 207.118 Points
3° Region 2/4/8 with 197.000 Points
Full results HERE
Young Riders Freestyle
1° Kat Fuqua & Dreamgirl with 74.355%
2° Eva Levy & Living Diamond with 73.400%
3° Alicia Berger Aqua Marin with 72.350%
Full results HERE
U25 Individual Final
1° Christian Simonson & Son of a Lady with 73.845%
2° Josh Allbrecht & Goldenboy Vinckenburgh with 72.590%
3° Sophie Schults & Conocido HGF with 74.490%
Full results HERE
Photo Caption: Kat Fuqua & Dreamgirl, winners of the Young Riders Dressage Freestyle at the FEI North American Youth Championships 2024 in Williamsburg (USA)
Image available here
Photo Copyright: © FEI/ MeganGiese/TCHS
Images & Content: Free images for editorial purposes are available from the FEI Flickr account in the photostream and in the dedicated album.
Defending champions, Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and her great mare TSF Dalera BB, secured the Individual Olympic Dressage title for the second time in a row at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Versailles (FRA) today.
At the Tokyo 2020 Games they claimed gold ahead of team-mate Isabell Werth riding Bella Rose. And once again this afternoon it was Werth who had to settle for the silver medal spot, this time with her magical new mare Wendy.
Bronze today went to Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry and the stallion Glamourdale as spectators in the packed stands witnessed horse after horse producing their very best performances in the final. But it was far from clear if the defending champions were in good enough form to repeat their Tokyo victory as the action got underway.
Yesterday, they helped their country to secure the Olympic Dressage Team title for a spectacular 15th time, albeit by only the narrowest of margins ahead of Team Denmark. However, Dalera and her rider didn’t demonstrate the harmony that has been the trademark of the glorious successes they have enjoyed in recent years, and that left a question mark over what they could do today.
The doubters were put right back in their place, however, by a copybook Freestyle that wasn’t just technically brilliant, but also sparkled with lightness and mutual understanding, leading to their winning score of 90.093%.
Joyous
Werth was second to go in the final group of six, and her test with Wendy was a joyous celebration of this new-found partnership who simply seem to be made for each other. They were clearly having fun as they posted their score of 89.614% to put it up to the remaining four.
Fry and Glamourdale followed, posting 88.971% on the board, and when The Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere and Hermes scored 88.432% there were only two left to challenge for gold.
From the moment von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera set off it was a completely different picture to what they shown the day before, the mare bouncing off the arena surface and responding to her rider’s every invisible instruction with ease and grace. The scores came tumbling in, getting higher and higher as the test progressed, and by the time they came to the end they were earning 10s across the board to bring them to 90.093% - only 0.479 points ahead of compatriot Werth but very definitely in the lead. The score was just 1.639 less than her winning one in Tokyo where she posted 91.732%.
Von Bredow-Werndl was not convinced she had done enough, however, because Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and her new ride Freestyle were still to go and they had been so impressive over the previous days, including taking top spot in the Grand Prix Special that decided the team medals. "The minutes when Cathrine was riding were very exhausting - I died several times!”, von Bredow-Werndl said afterwards. But, with 88.093%, Laudrup-Dufour settled into fifth place in the final analysis, and the gold medal was back around the defending champion’s neck.
Pressure
She admitted that the pressure of going last of her team had affected her performance yesterday and that she really had to pull herself together to put things right this afternoon.
"Today I woke up and I thought, ok, it's all about trust, we are enough and I have to trust myself and I have to trust Dalera. It was about letting go, to surrender”
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl
(GER)
She kept her preparation to the minimum, so much so that the mare didn’t even break into a sweat all day. “I didn't even do a whole pirouette in the warm up - she went in (to the arena) with dry hair and came out with dry hair!”
In the end it was all about controlling her own mentality so that both she and her horse could give their very best. “This was a mental game”, she pointed out.
Talking about her ride, she said Dalera “was 1,000% with me, she had no ear or eye anywhere else than me, she was listening so carefully and she really showed me that this is what she wants to do and this is why it makes me so emotional because I don't know if I will ever get another horse like her. She's the most intelligent horse I've ever had, she is out of this world!”, she added.
So close
Werth could hardly be disappointed about finishing so close behind her compatriot. She has only been riding the mare Wendy since the beginning of this year and their partnership is literally improving with every outing together. They have been wonderful to watch in Versailles over the last week.
Talking about being pipped at the post by her team-mate, the multiple medallist - who herself took individual Olympic gold with Gigolo in Atlanta in 1996 - said:
“We (Team Germany) had the luck on our side yesterday, the Danish team also could have won, and today I'm really happy with the result because at the end it's a lucky punch for Jessie and a bit unlucky for me, that’s how it goes. But both horses were fantastic, we had such a high standard in the competition. The first starter had 80% already so I think it was just fantastic. And for me, with this horse, and in this atmosphere, I don't feel that I lost anything!”
Isabell Werth
(GER)
Proud
Bronze medallist Fry said she was very proud of Glamourdale. “I 100% knew he was capable of it, but to be able to pull it off in there today and get the bronze is just incredible. The support from the crowd was amazing and the prize-giving was just insane! That feeling going around with Jessica and Isabell - two idols and huge inspirations in our sport - was just incredible! I didn’t watch anybody after my test, I knew they were all very good. I didn’t want to disappoint myself so I was just happy with my ride. We were on our way back to the stables and I just thought we better check the scores before we decided to start packing up and suddenly there was screaming going on and we realised we had the bronze so it was so exciting!”, she said.
“When we became World Champions (individual in 2022) it was also quite unexpected, but I knew Glamourdale was always capable, and having it all come together on the day at the right time here is a very special thing. This is just as special for me, maybe even more special to have this Paris 2024 Olympic medal - it’s just so cool!”
Charlotte Fry
(GBR)
Dressage has attracted huge attention at these Olympic Games with celebrities including American rapper and record producer Snoop Dogg coming to see Britain’s Becky Moody in action yesterday and Canadian actor Ryan Gosling dropping in today. They all saw super sport.
Asked what her plans are now for Dalera, the newly re-crowned Individual Olympic champion von Bredow-Werndl said that the mare will compete a few more times this year and then retire to breed some foals in the spring.
Filled with emotion she said, “I owe her so much. I love her and I will spoil her until the last day of her life.”
In arguably the closest and most thrilling Olympic contest of all time, Germany clinched Dressage Team gold by the narrowest of margins ahead of Denmark in silver and Great Britain in bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic equestrian venue in Versailles (FRA) today. The result brings Germany’s Olympic gold-medal count to a massive 15, and with 10 victories from the last 11 editions of the Games dating all the way back to Los Angeles in 1984, their record is nothing short of phenomenal.
However, it doesn’t get much closer than a winning margin of 0.121 percentage points. For Team Denmark, realising their dream of clinching the Olympic title for the very first time was only a whisper away when they were pinned back into silver medal spot ahead of Great Britain, who took the bronze just over three points further adrift. It was Olympic sport at its very best today, with the result completely unpredictable until the very last moment.
The victorious side of Frederic Wandres/Bluetooth OLD, Isabell Werth/Wendy and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl/TSF Dalera BB knew they had been in a mighty battle that might well not have gone in their favour.
“We did it! It was too exciting to be honest, and at the end the margin was so tiny!”, said von Bredow-Werndl who claimed double-gold with the same super mare in Tokyo three years ago.
As the most medalled athlete in all of equestrian sport, her team-mate Isabell Werth knows what tense competition is all about, but even this seven-time Olympian was near-breathless with the excitement of it all.
“That was a thriller today!”, she said. “At the end I didn't believe that we got it because it was so very close! Now nobody can ever say again that dressage is boring!”, she added with a huge laugh.
Three-way contest
As the 10 nations qualified for the Grand Prix Special took their turn in the arena, it quickly evolved into a three-way contest between the defending Olympic champions from Germany, the reigning world champions from Denmark and the reigning European champions from Britain, who all looked well set for a podium placing from the outset.
The British got off to a flying start when their new recruit Becky Moody, only called up at the very last moment, showed that despite never competing in a championship before her partnership with her home-bred 10-year-old gelding Jagerbomb is really something special. Putting 76.489% on the board for a harmonious test she topped the leaderboard after the first group of 10 combinations had competed, with Denmark’s Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Vayron next best on 75.973% and the first of the Germans, Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD, close behind in 75.942%.
Carl Hester and Fame added 76.520% to the British tally, but then Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Zepter’s 78.480% moved the Danes well ahead only for Germany’s Werth to follow with a wonderful ride from her new horse Wendy that earned 79.894%.
Perfect match
This pair are the perfect match, and Werth has found a whole new dimension to her performances. “It's a very quick coming together of a new partnership, that's true, when you sit on a horse and you feel that is your horse then it just clicks!”, said the German, who has long been known as “The Queen” in her sport and who only teamed up with Wendy in January of this year.
“This is a really perfect match between us and I think we both feel really confident and that makes it so easy. She's so uncomplicated!”, Werth enthused about the big mare.
“She's really tall when you stand next to her, she's 1.85cms and everything is much easier on her, you can sit and just have fun! She's everything in a perfect construction, and it's wonderful to have her in time for the Olympics!”, she added.
It would all come down to the final three to decide the medal-placings, and when reigning individual world champions, Charlotte Fry and the stallion Glamourdale, posted 79.483% for a great test then the British were assured of at least the bronze. However, the penultimate partnership of Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle then threw down the biggest score of the day to leave the gold-medal race still wide open. Their softness and balance, the unhurried and majestic movement of the mare and the harmony between horse and athlete earned 81.216% to move Denmark onto a total score of 232.492, which piled the pressure on the German anchor partnership.
Wrap it up
As von Bredow-Werndl entered the arena with Dalera it seemed more than possible that they would score over 80% to wrap it up for another clear German win. But there were mistakes, and when 79.954% went up on the board it was so very, very close. The margin of victory was little more than a hair’s breadth.
“It was more than a hiccup!”, von Bredow-Werndl said of her expensive error. “It was a misunderstanding in the transition to the passage that cost too many points for two movements that count double! But luckily we connected again and we brought it home!”, she said.
And asked if she knew before she went into the arena what she had to score in order to keep her country in gold medal spot, she replied, “no, and it was good that I didn’t!”
Close competition is what makes great sport, and today’s Olympic contest was just that.
Wandres’ contribution with Bluetooth OLD was significant. As he pointed out himself, it is his pure consistency that earned his place here in Paris. “I don't need to lie. I'm not the one which is looking for 80% in the Special but that’s okay, because whether it is 30 degrees or raining cats (and dogs!) I'm riding my best and getting the scores that are expected of me always”, he said.
The Danes could have been disappointed, but they knew that if von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera hadn’t run into problems in their test they would have finished further behind, so they were realistic about today’s result and more than pleased. Denmark has only once before earned an Olympic Dressage team medal and that was bronze in Beijing in 2008. The camaraderie in their team has been clear to see at these Games, and that closeness and comfort is paying off in spades.
Supported
“We've known each other since we were small kids, and we've supported each other in each other's career so far. We are the youngest team of all here and we came in as world champions. We've already done so much great together, but we have so much more to come ahead of us, and we are so hungry to do even more. We are very happy!”, Bachmann Andersen said.
The British have enjoyed a great run at these Games, taking team gold in both Eventing and Jumping and now bronze in team Dressage. Like Germany’s Werth, Carl Hester is also competing at his seventh Olympic Games and reflecting on how the Dressage team competition played out over the last few days, he said he knew it was going to be close-run affair for the medal placings.
“Looking at the scores all year you could see how everybody has been shifting around and you could see how Isabell has been improving, which she's just proved now, and the Danes have been so very consistent and very strong. For me it’s great to see Becky Moody being the newest star to hit the Olympics, she has been amazing - so it’s all very exciting!”, the British veteran said.
The German celebrations from today’s epic contest will barely have faded before tomorrow’s much-anticipated Grand Prix Freestyle finale which will decide the individual medals. With such super-star quality on show in Paris this week and so many partnerships, some well-established and others just blossoming, taking to the stage one more time, it’s going to be like “Strictly Come Prancing” - with plenty more surprises possible when the action gets underway at 10.00am Paris time.
Great Britain claimed Jumping team gold in fine style today at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Versailles (FRA) with spectacular performances from Ben Maher/Dallas Vegas Batilly, Harry Charles/Romeo 88 and Scott Brash/Jefferson. It was a clean, crisp result for the new Olympic champions, without a single fence down and counting only two time faults to seal it in the Team Final.
Team USA had to settle for silver medal spot with a final scoreline of just four faults, and in the battle for bronze it was France that clinched it thanks to quicker combined times for their three combinations who edged the Dutch off the podium by the narrowest of margins – 0.57 seconds – when both sides completed with seven faults on the board.
This was Britain’s third team title in the history of Jumping at the Games. The first was recorded by Wilfred White/Nizefela, Douglas Stewart/Aherlow and Harry Llewellyn/Foxhunter in Helsinki in 1952, and there was a very long wait before they did it again on home ground in London 2012. Both Maher and Brash were young guns in their 20’s when competing in that four-man side 12 years ago alongside Harry Charles’ father Peter, and Nick Skelton. Today’s result resonated with that, although this time around Maher and Brash were the veterans while 25-year-old Charles was the relative rookie.
Set to threaten
In yesterday’s qualifier, Germany produced three clean sheets and looked set to threaten strongly for the title, but despite a faultless round from Philipp Weishaupt and Zineday, poles down for both Christian Kukuk’s Checker 47 and Richard Vogel’s United Touch S at the first element of the penultimate double left them sitting in fifth place at the end of the day.
The defending champions from Sweden were expected to bounce back from their 17-fault total yesterday when only Peder Fredricson and Catch Me Not S had mistakes on the course, but all three team members had a fence error today to drop them behind Germany into sixth place.
The Dutch were unlucky. Kim Emmen and Imagine produced one of 11 clear rounds over the bright, beautiful but technically-demanding 14-fence track created by Santiago Varela (ESP) and Gregory Bodo (FRA), while Harrie Smolders collected only a single time fault with Uricas van de Kattevennen. However, Maikel van der Vleuten and his Tokyo 2020 individual bronze-medal winning ride Beauville Z had an awkward ride down the triple combination at fence 10 and took out the final oxer element for four faults and an additional two for time.
Meanwhile the French began with just three time faults for pathfinder Simon Delestre and I Amelusina R 51 followed by a superb clear from Olivier Perreau and Dorai D’Aiguilly, who were called in late to the side. The crowd were on the edges of their seats as Julien Epaillard and Dubai du Cedre set off as, with just those three faults on the board, they were well within sight of at least silver. But a mistake at the Jardin à la Française oxer at fence nine left the hosts on level-pegging with The Netherlands, their narrow advantage on the clock giving them that third podium placing.
Convincing
The British looked convincing from the outset, Maher and Dallas Vegas Batilly finishing just shy of the time-allowed of 79 seconds for a single time fault, while Charles and Rome 88 were crystal clear. By the time Brash and Jefferson entered the ring as anchors and the very last to go, the Americans were counting only four faults for Laura Kraut’s mistake at the first element of the triple combination because both Karl Cook with Caracole de la Roque and Ward and Ilex had been foot-perfect.
The pressure was at boiling point as Brash set off with everything hanging in the balance. A fence down and gold would go to the USA, and two down would drop his country right out of contention. But in the years since that historic London victory at the age of 26, the Scottish-born rider has become a master of his art with a reputation for nerves of steel. And as he and Jefferson galloped through the finish with just a single time penalty popping up on the scoreboard it was time for big British celebrations.
Asked about winning the second Olympic team gold medal of his sparkling career, Brash said:
“A gold medal doesn't get old! It's incredible, obviously, to win in London in front of our home crowd, which was one of the best days of my life, but here is right up there! I mean what an unbelievable setting, what a beautiful venue for our sport and facilities for the horses were incredible!”
Scott Brash
(GBR)
And asked what it was like to enter that cauldron of tension to secure that gold, he replied, “you’ve got to stay focused on your horse, it’s a partnership, you really need to know your horse inside out to be able to jump that course, it's technical, it's big, you’re jumping at the highest level and there's questions all around that course. So you really need to know your horse inside out and ride the best way possible for them to jump clear. You stay focused and then try and execute your plan and that's what I tried to do, and thankfully it paid off!”, he explained.
Underestimated
Maher, who on Monday begins the defence of the individual Olympic title he won in Tokyo three years ago, said he may have underestimated the time it would take to get around today’s track, “but we left the jumps up and gave the team a great start!”, he pointed out. “We’re talking about 0.3 of a second over the time - I could probably just have turned back shorter after the double of Liverpools (4ab) and taken a bit of a risk, but my horse is younger and our team in a good position anyway”, he explained.
He said he has a lot of faith in Dallas Vegas Batilly. “She’s been very consistent and won already some really good Grand Prix all over the world. We did the championship indoors back in April to give us some experience. There were some question marks over my change of horse last-minute but I’m in a very fortunate position, she is the more experienced horse in the stable at the moment and I just felt that she was really on form and ready at the right time, and she's certainly shown that today!”, he said.
Charles said he initially thought today’s course was not too tough, “but that's how good these course builders are - it rode completely differently to how it walked! It's probably much more difficult than yesterday but suited my horse better with striding in between the jumps. He likes to jump from a collected canter rather than an open one so I could get to most of the jumps in a holding stride which was a big benefit. And I wasn't really too concerned with the time allowed. He was really quick yesterday, so I thought if I just do my normal pace I should be inside and just was. So I was pretty happy about that”, he said.
Team silver
It was the USA’s third Olympic team silver in a row and their seventh in the history of the Games. Laura Kraut and McLain Ward were both on the silver-medal side in Tokyo three years ago where Kraut’s 14-year-old gelding Baloutinue also competed.
She was surprised by her horse’s single mistake today at that bogey triple combination. “He kind of looked at it a little bit and I had maybe too much momentum but other than that he didn't put a foot wrong”, she said.
Talking about today’s course she pointed out,
“What's been really nice is there's been no eliminations, no disasters, lots of poles down and time faults and they have been very crafty with the time allowed. I felt like I was flying, and I only came in a second and a half under the time, so I think it's just as you would expect - we’re at the Olympics after all!”
Laura Kraut
(USA)
Like Kraut, Ward knows a thing or two about the pressure of Olympic competition and today he picked up his fifth medal at his sixth Olympic Games.
“Both Laura and I have been particularly blessed (competing for Team USA) for a number of years. What the Olympics represents, its principles, at its very best is something that we really are proud of and look to as a goal. Our team mentality is that this is the pinnacle of the sport. This is what we aim everything towards, not only ourselves, but everybody behind us, and we're willing to sacrifice a lot of other events throughout the season to try to be primed at the right moment with the right combinations. That's not to say that sometimes you think you have the recipe right and you don't. But I think being able to pull that off a few times builds confidence, and everybody keeps delivering, and that perpetuates itself, it inspires the next generation and it inspires all the people around us and behind us to continue”, he said.
It has taken a while for Karl Cook to build a relationship with the feisty French-bred mare Caracole de la Roque, but it has all come together beautifully now with trust established between them, particularly over the last few months. Today’s fabulous clear was evidence of that. “You build that trust and understanding over time. I’m thrilled with how she has been here in Paris - she’s a very wonderful horse!”, he said.
Emotion
The French were filled with emotion and delighted to find themselves on the podium. As Epaillard said, “we wanted a medal - and we got it!”. And it was even more special to do it in front of the French President Emmanuel Macron.
For Olivier Perreau his bronze was particularly emotional because he earned it on a home-bred mare he has produced himself and which only began to show real potential over the last year. “I took her to the European Championship last year and my aim was always to have her here in Paris - I’m so proud of her and so very, very happy!”, he said.
Meanwhile, delighted British Chef d’Equipe, Di Lampard, reflected this evening on the success of her side. “The plan has come together after four years and I’m completely overwhelmed! They were outstanding, the lads were ice-cool and delivered on the given day! We always put Ben out first, he’s the pathfinder and he’s so good at it. To put Harry in the middle was an obvious one and his clear round was joyous and probably put even more pressure on Scott! But we know he has ice-cold veins and he delivered in real style!”, she said.
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.
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.
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….
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:
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.
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