The FEI Tribunal has issued a Consent Award in an equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance.

In this case, a horse trained by Saif Salem Mohd Al Faresi (FEI ID 10014789/UAE), tested positive for the Banned Substance Arsenic following samples taken at the CEI1*100 Bou Thib (UAE), on 4 March 2021.

The trainer admitted the rule violation and accepted the consequences. In its final decision the FEI Tribunal disqualified the horse from the event and imposed an 18-month ineligibility period on the trainer; the provisional suspension he already served shall be credited against the imposed ineligibility period. He was also fined CHF 5,000.

The full Decision is available here. 

With a mix of debutant and experienced athletes set to take centre stage at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the Para Equestrian field is wide open.

In all, there are 78 Para Equestrian athletes from 27 nations confirmed in the list of definite entries published by the FEI today. Among them, one of the sport’s most enduring athletes, a strong contender for a ‘triple-triple’ and a Para Equestrian legend going for a record number of medals.

Tokyo will be the seventh appearance at a Paralympic Games for 60 year-old Jens Lasse Dokkan (NOR) who is the only athlete to have competed at every Paralympics edition since Atlanta 1996, when Para Dressage was introduced. Currently ranked World No. 5 in the FEI Para Dressage World Individual Ranking for Grade I, Dokkan goes into Tokyo with his mount Aladdin, following top three finishes in all his competition participations from 2019 to 2021.

As the current reigning World and European champion, Sanne Voets (NED) has her sights set high for Tokyo. The 34-year-old is looking to win the team, individual and freestyle competitions in Tokyo to give her the elusive triple-triple of golds at European, World and Paralympic level, a feat last achieved by Great Britain’s Sir Lee Pearson. Voets will be going for gold alongside her horse Demantur “Demmi” with a freestyle routine, developed in collaboration with top Dutch freestyle producer Joost Peters, and one of her country’s most popular bands, HAEVN.

Known as the Godfather of Para Dressage, Lee Pearson is himself looking to add to his medal tally of 14 Paralympic medals – which includes 11 golds – the highest of any Paralympic Equestrian. One of the most recognisable faces in Para Equestrian, Pearson made his debut at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney where he won gold medals in the individual, freestyle and team. He won another three golds in Athens 2004 and then Beijing 2008, before a team gold, individual silver and freestyle bronze in London 2012. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Pearson brought home a freestyle gold medal and an individual silver.

While Great Britain’s Para Dressage team has enjoyed unrivalled success at every Paralympics since Atlanta, this year in Tokyo the USA are the hot favourites for team gold.

Lee Pearson will be reunited with his Rio 2016 teammates Sophie Christiansen, Natasha Baker and Sophie Wells in Tokyo to defend Great Britain’s team title.

The US charge is led by Roxanne Trunnell, who is currently the highest ranked Para Dressage athlete in Grade I and in the FEI Para Dressage World Individual Ranking. Trunnell has won at every outing in the first half of 2021 and together with her horse Dolton, they have swept the Grade I classes at key 3* international events in the USA. Trunnell also served up a world record score of 89.522% for an FEI Para Dressage Freestyle Test. Trunnell will be joined by three time Paralympian Rebecca Hart, as well as Beatrice De Lavalette and Kate Shoemaker who will be making their Paralympic debut in Tokyo.

Current World and European champions the Netherlands are also desperate to make it a hat trick at the Paralympics. The team includes the hugely experienced European champion Frank Hosmar, back-to-back World champion Rixt van der Horst, and Sanne Voets.

“This year marks the 25th anniversary of Para Dressage’s debut at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta,” FEI Para Equestrian Committee Chair Amanda Bond said.

“And while they will be a very different Paralympics to what we’ve been used to, these Games are an opportunity to bring Para Equestrian to the forefront. Equestrian sport is unique, with its hallmark being the close connection between athlete and horse. This relationship is all the more special in Para Dressage as the two athletes really become one.

“I know I speak on behalf of the whole community when I say how thrilled we are to have this opportunity following some challenging times. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a triumph over adversity. I send my deepest and most heartfelt gratitude to all those who have contributed to making the Olympic and Paralympic Games happen, and to the people of Japan for welcoming the international sporting community to what has been billed the Games of Hope.”

Although equestrian fans will see some old sporting rivalries play out, there are a number of athletes who will be making their debut appearance in Tokyo.

One of these athletes is 26-year-old Sho Inaba, an emerging talent on the Japanese Para Equestrian scene, who will be competing with his horse Exclusive. Inaba competed at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Tryon (USA) where he finished 14^th in the individual test for his Grade. He has shown that he has what it takes to reach the podium, winning individual and freestyle medals at international competitions held in Gotemba (JPN) in 2019.

Currently ranked World No.1 in Grade III, Tobias Thorning Joergensen (DEN) was the breakthrough star of the 2019 FEI Para Dressage European Championship in Rotterdam (NED), winning gold medals in the individual and freestyle tests with his horse Joelene Hill, as well as team bronze. Joergensen is following in the footsteps of his mother Line Thorning Jorgensen who represented Denmark in Para Dressage at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games.

Belgium’s Kevin Van Ham will make his debut following his impressive first major appearance at the 2019 FEI Para Dressage European Championship, where he placed fifth in the individual and freestyle competitions. Ranked World No. 7 in Grade V, Van Ham will be confident going into the Paralympics having topped the podium at the 3* international event in Grote-Brogel (BEL) in the individual and freestyle tests in June 2021.

Following the final selection, athletes will soon be making their way to Aachen (GER) for final training sessions and quarantine before continuing to Tokyo.

Photo credit: FEI/Liz Gregg

Quick link
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

Following last night’s thrilling Individual Jumping Final in which Great Britain’s Ben Maher and Explosion W claimed gold, all of the horses presented at this evening’s second Jumping Horse Inspection were accepted, and the stage is now set for the Team competition to begin tomorrow night.

Further changes may be made up to two hours before the competition begins, but to date the confirmed pre-competition changes are as follows:

For Argentina, Fabian Sejanes is out and Matias Albarracin comes in 

For Belgium, Niels Bruynseels is out and Pieter Devos comes in

For Brazil, Yuri Mansur is out and Pedro Veniss comes in

For China, You Zhang is out and Yaofeng Li comes in

For Czech Republic, Kamil Papousek is out and Ondrej Zvara comes in

For Egypt, Abdel Said is out and Mohamed Talaat comes in

For France, Mathieu Billot is out and Simon Delestre comes in

For Great Britain, Scott Brash is out, his horse was withdrawn and therefore not presented, Holly Smith comes in

For Germany, Christian Kukuk is out and Maurice Tebbel comes in

For Ireland, Cian O’Connor is out, his horse was withdrawn and therefore not presented, Shane Sweetnam comes in

For Morocco, Ali Ahrach’s horse USA de Riverland is out and will be replaced by Golden Lady

For Mexico, Manuel Gonzalez Dufrane is out and Patricia Pasquel comes in 

For New Zealand, Uma O’Neill is out and Tom Tarver-Priebe comes in

For Switzerland, Beat Mandli is out and Bryan Balsiger comes in

For USA, Kent Farrington is out and McLain Ward comes in.

A total of 19 teams will compete in the first Team competition and the order of go is as follows: 

1, Czech Republic; 2, China; 3, Japan; 4, Israel; 5, Mexico; 6, Argentina; 7, Morocco; 8, New Zealand; 9, Ireland; 10, Egypt; 11, France; 12, Sweden; 13, USA; 14, Great Britain; 15, Brazil; 16, Switzerland; 17, Belgium; 18, Germany; 19, Netherlands.

The competition will begin at 19.00 local time and the best 10 teams will qualify for Saturday evening’s Jumping Team Final.

More details here 

Clearly the images of Cian O’Connor’s horse Kilkenny are distressing to see, but the gelding was immediately checked by veterinarians straight after last night’s Jumping Individual Final at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The vets established that this was a nosebleed (epistaxis) and, as a precaution, the horse was sent to the onsite Veterinary Clinic for further examination.

The horse was treated and returned to its own stable last night. Following consultation with the onsite veterinary treatment team, the Irish team veterinarian, the athlete and chef d’equipe, it was agreed that the horse would not be presented at today’s horse inspection and will therefore take no further part in the Games.

In addition to ongoing monitoring by the Irish team veterinarian, one of the onsite Veterinary Clinic Team Leaders re-examined the horse this morning and reported that the horse had improved considerably overnight.

Under the FEI Jumping Rules, blood on the flanks or in the horse’s mouth results in elimination, however, equine epistaxis is not a cause for elimination. As a result, Cian O’Connor and the nine-year-old Irish-bred gelding were ranked seventh in the Jumping Individual Final after completing the course clear of jumping penalties and with just a single time fault.

“I don’t know what was more pressure, this or getting married in two weeks!”, said Great Britain’s Ben Maher as he clutched the Individual Jumping gold medal he just won at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Baji Koen tonight. 

“It doesn’t seem real. I think it will sink in tonight or tomorrow when I wake up. It’s been a lot of pressure the last couple of weeks. I may be biased but I believe I am on the best horse, he’s incredible and I’m very fortunate to be able to ride him”, said the 38-year-old athlete. Few of the other riders would argue about that. 

With the 12-year-old Explosion W he was already leading the posse after yesterday’s qualifying competition, so he had the best of the draw when last to go in tonight’s first round. And having made the cut into the six-horse jump-off he simply out-ran all the rest, Sweden’s Peder Fredricson having to settle for silver with All In at their second Olympic Games in a row, while The Netherlands’ Maikel van der Vleuten and Beauville Z took the bronze. 

Jump-Off

Course designer, Spain’s Santiago Varela, outdid himself once again with a first-round track that tested courage, scope and speed, and six of the 30 starters, including a staggering three from Sweden, qualified for the jump-off. 

IOC President Thomas Bach was one of a number of IOC dignitaries onsite at the Equestrian Park tonight, and was very happy to watch the jump-off from the athletes’ tribune.

All six jumped clear again, and when pathfinder Daisuke Fukushima crossed the line with Chanyon in 43.76 seconds to set the first target it was a huge moment for the sport in Japan. Sweden’s Malin Baryard-Johnsson was next to go with her feisty mare, Indiana, who broke the beam three seconds quicker but then compatriot Peder Fredricson raised the bar to a whole new level with a beautifully-executed run that saw him race across the line with All In in 38.02 seconds.

All eyes were on Maher who was next to go. The four-time Olympian who won team gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games is a formidable competitor, and with Explosion W is in a class of his own. He knew the expectations were high but he handled it with grim determination and his brilliant 12-year-old gelding got him home in 37.85 seconds which never looked possible to beat.

Last of the Swedes, Henrik von Eckermann gave it his best shot with King Edward who stopped the clock in 39.71 seconds. That seemed plenty good enough for bronze, but Dutchman Maikel van der Vleuten set off with his jaw set square and steered Beauville Z home in 38.90 seconds to squeeze him off the podium.

No expectations

“It’s amazing because I came here with no expectations!”, van der Vleuten said. “I have quite an inexperienced horse at championship level and as we all saw yesterday there is an extremely strong field here with many horses in good shape and how often in the past you do a good jump-off and you get fourth or fifth, and it was also not difficult today to get fourth or fifth. I was trying to go for it without overdoing him and it worked out well. I think the first two combinations (Maher and Fredricson) many people would have thought they had a big chance, they have so much experience and are fantastic riders so to be third with this horse at this level is a little bit like gold for me!”.

Fredricson was happy with silver, but it wasn’t the target. “All the top riders want to take the gold medal but today it was Ben’s day, he did a great round and that’s the way it goes, it’s really small margins”. Britain’s Nick Skelton pipped him for gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, but the following year All in won the Individual European title before an injury in December 2017 left the horse out of action for 18 months. He only came back into competition work in April this year.

“I always had it in mind to have him in top shape here but we were running a bit late with Covid and then the horse virus, and I was running out of time to get him the last bit of competition fit. I would say he just came into a peak when he came here. He jumped great yesterday and today when I took him out he was really good again”, he said of the 15-year-old horse whose track record also includes team silver at those European Championships four years ago.

Fifth equestrian medal

Maher’s gold is Great Britain’s fifth equestrian medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and only the second Individual gold his country has claimed since Jumping joined the Olympic Games in 1912. Compatriot Nick Skelton was the first Briton to win the Individual title when reigning supreme five years ago in Brazil. Only Britain and Germany have ever won back-to-back Individual Olympic Jumping titles, Ludger Beerbaum (Classic Touch, Barcelona 1992) and Ulrich Kirchhoff (Jus de Pommes, Atlanta 1996) posting Germany’s consecutive victories.  

The new champion said tonight, “there are so many people I owe this to in the end, obviously Explosion is the main one but there are vets, farriers that have been with me for 15 years, my team back home, Cormac Kenny who is my groom. He came to me from Ireland when he was 16 and he grew up with me and he’s here to be a huge part of this moment. My family, my fiancee Sophie - we are getting married in two weeks time - so many people. I’m looking forward to geting home and having a great celebration!”, Maher said.

Facts and Figures:

Youngest athlete in tonight’s Olympic Individual Jumping Final was 22-year-old Harry Charles from Great Britain.

Oldest athlete in tonight’s competition was 61-year-old Geir Gulliksen from Norway.

14 fences, 17 jumping efforts. 

Great Britain has now claimed a total of 5 equestrian medals so far at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The horse Kilkenny, ridden by Cian O’Connor (IRL), had a nosebleed (epistaxis) during the Jumping Individual Final today at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The nine-year-old Irish-bred gelding, which completed the course with just a single time 

fault, was checked by veterinarians immediately after the competition and, as a precaution, the horse will go to the onsite Veterinary Clinic for a further examination. 

Under the FEI Jumping Rules, blood on the flanks or in the horse’s mouth results in elimination, however, equine epistaxis is not a cause for elimination. 

The horse Kilkenny has been withdrawn from the Team competition which begins on Friday.

Quotes: 

Peder Fredricson talking about All In: “When it’s really tough he really delivers, he’s so naturally careful. He’s a funny character, lazy combined with really strong flight sense, he has lot of personality for a small horse but that doesn’t matter when he jumps like this!”

Scott Brash, Great Britain, who missed out on a place in the jump-off when picking us just a single time fault in the first round: “I’m gutted really but I thought the course was built very well, he’s done a very good job the course builder. To get six clears is spot on.” 

Results here  

There was an edge-of-the-seat start to Jumping at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games today, with fluctuating fortunes in the opening first Individual competition. Only 30 of the 73 starters could qualify for tomorrow’s Individual medal-decider, and with many horses finding the atmosphere electrifying and the fabulous course of fences more than mesmerising, even the best of the best admitted that tonight’s 14-fence challenge was a big one. The colour and creativity of Santiago Varela’s course was nothing short of spectacular, and he gave them plenty to jump too.

Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs was partnering his superstar Clooney who carried him to Individual glory at the European Championships in Rotterdam two years ago, but he still found today’s opening competition a big test.

“The course itself wasn’t super tricky but what makes it difficult is that it’s the Olympic Games, the pressure is there, Clooney feels the pressure and I feel it, the rideability wasn’t as it should have been. But usually he gets better from day to day and I think now we have the most difficult round of the week behind us”, Fuchs said.

Roar of approval

The was a big roar of approval when Japan’s Daisuke Fukushima produced the first clear of the competition when seventh to go with Chanyon, and the host nation were hugely impressive when all three of their riders made the cut to tomorrow’s Individual showdown. Other nations who also have three riders through are Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland and Sweden while Fuchs will be joined by Swiss compatriot Beat Mandli and both Egypt and The Netherlands will also have two representatives.

Britain’s Ben Maher produced the fastest round of the night with Explosion W so has the best of the draw tomorrow. “We’ve been waiting a long time and we’ve been edgy to get going. It was a big enough course today and a lot of horses are a little bit spooky, I don’t know whether it’s the new jumps or the lights and I felt that with him. This is my most nervous round of the week. He’s a horse that improves as the rounds go on, so he was having a little look today but he’s naturally a fast horse and he did everything he needed to do”, Maher said.

Second-fastest of the night was Ireland’s Darragh Kenny riding Cartello. “Not a lot of people know the horse - this is only my sixth FEI show with him, I’ve only had him since May”, Kenny pointed out. “He was with Irish riders before so he was in Irish ownership for the Olympics. Cormac Hanley and Lorcan Gallagher rode him and they both had great success with him, he’s been a good horse for everybody. He jumped great in Rome (ITA) and Madrid (ESP) over the last couple of months, but this week will be a big ask. But he feels up to it and we’ve had a great start”, he added.

Costly

There were four eliminations and four retirements during the competition, with the turn to the white vertical at fence 10 proving costly for several riders, the large Sumo Wrestler holding up the left-hand wing possibly something of a distraction here. 

Penelope Leprevost, a member of the gold medal winning French team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, was one of its victims when Vancouver de Lanlore had a run-out. “I was trying to relax the horse on the turn and he was maybe surprised when he found himself so close to the vertical”, she said.

The only French rider through tomorrow is Nicolas Delmotte with Urvoso du Roch but for Team USA tonight was a bit of a shock. The side of Jessica Springsteen, Kent Farrington and Laura Kraut were expected to be major players at these Games but none of them have qualified for tomorrow’s next stage of the Individual competition.

As Farrington said, “a harsh reality of our sport is one rail down and you’re out. In the new format tonight it was all or nothing and unfortunately for the American team right now it’s nothing!” 

Pressure 

Olympic pressure is nothing knew, and Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs talked about that tonight.

“I was feeling a little nervous Sunday and Monday night, and yesterday I had a good talk with the sports psychologist for the Swiss team and he really helped me to ease the feeling a bit. I told him I’ve never had this feeling before, being nervous, it’s totally new to me. He gave me a few small but good advices and it helped me a lot.

He asked me what was the problem, I told him on Sunday after the warm-up I felt so excited because Clooney felt so good and thought OK now we can win a medal. This carried me through the night and woke me up a couple of times and he said Martin what are you here for? I said, to win a medal. He said, no what are you doing here? I said, I ride. He said, exactly you ride. You don’t need to think, we have other people to think, the Swiss team brought you here to ride and not to think, so just get on your horse and ride and leave the rest to the smart people!”

He’ll be doing that tomorrow evening for sure.

Quote: 

Great Britain’s Ben Maher, talking about his recovery from surgery last year and his return to competitive sport:

“I struggled for a long time after a couple of falls in 2018/19, I had to have a physio travelling with me all the time and couldn’t walk very well, actually on a horse I felt more comfortable but life wasn’t much fun. So it was planned six months in advance and I had lower back surgery in London in January 2020 and I’m a new person now. 

I was nervous for a while if being more healthy might make me worse in the ring but it’s all good! I was in the gym a week later and back in saddle about nine weeks later. I rode two classes and then Covid kicked in and very little happened last year, so I’m really happy to be here”.

Results here  

The Olympic Games are all about the coming together of the best of the best and the human and equine athletes have been meticulously prepared for the occasion. An essential part of that preparation is shoeing, and just as with human athletes, a horse can only perform at its best if the shoes fit perfectly.

This is where Olympic lead farrier from London 2012 and Rio 2016, Ben Benson (GBR) comes into play here at Baji Koen Equestrian Park. Benson is working together with a hand-picked international team and 18 Japanese farriers to provide an all-round shoeing service to the onsite horses.

While many teams bring their own horseshoes, the equine shoe shop – officially known as the farriery – is stocked with 10 to 12 different styles of shoes in eight different sizes. And Ben Benson and his team can copy any type of shoe, the goal being to change as little as possible.

As well as being able to analyse the biomechanics and balance of a horse, it is equally important for the farriers to know exactly what type of shoe is needed for each of the three Olympic Equestrian disciplines here in Tokyo – Dressage, Eventing and Show Jumping. For horses competing on sand, a shoe with a light grip is preferable to keep their feet on top of the surface, whereas on grass a firmer grip is required.

“It’s all about traction and support”, Benson explains, “but a set of shoes is only as good as the person who puts them on.”

Shoes for Dressage horses should have a degree of flexibility, allowing them to perform set patterns of movements on the flat. For the Cross Country, Eventers need a more concave shoe, which can cut into the grass footing and provide stability. The Jumpers will look for a something in between the two and, as for the Eventers, will need the option of customising with studs for extra grip when needed.

As with so many things in life, the devil is in the details. Every extra centimetre on a hoof adds 50 kilograms to the horse’s back, potentially leading to imbalance and emphasising the importance of re-shoeing horses on average every four to five weeks. In an ideal world, horses arrive at the Olympics having been shod just before leaving for the Games, and head back home in time for their next shoeing. But the quarantine period horses had to undergo prior to arrival in Tokyo meant many horses have reached their shoeing deadline onsite, so Benson and his team have been kept busy.

To be selected to be part of an Olympic farriery team is a career highlight, and Benson is always eager to share his incredible depth of knowledge and has provided invaluable know-how to numerous farriers over the years.

Being lead farrier at multiple Olympic Games comes with a lot of responsibility. It requires building a relationship of trust with the athletes and their support personnel, as well as excellent communication within the farrier team.

“It’s not always easy when the stakes are this high”, Ben Benson says, “but it is clear that everyone at the Olympic Games is an expert in their field. Despite the immense pressure, athletes need to trust that the team is made up of the best farriers in the world and that their horses are in the best possible hands.” And they are!

Arena surfaces

But the farriers are not the only ones with a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. Those in charge of the arena surfaces, or footing, also have a big role to play.

As with human athletes, the leg and hoof of the horse withstand great forces when the hoof makes contact with the ground, especially as horses weigh over half a tonne. And when the horse is moving at speed or turning, those forces increase, whether they’re competing on grass or an all-weather sand surface.

Creating the perfect sand footing for the arena-based Equestrian sports has now become an exact science, with a complex layering system that ensures the best surfaces for the horses to perform on, whether that’s for Dressage or Jumping.

The Olympic footing at the Baji Koen Equestrian Park here in Tokyo – with exactly the same composition on the main field of play and all the training arenas – is top quality sand mixed with roughly 1.5% of polyester textile fibres. The sand provides impact firmness and grip, and the fibres provide cushioning, elasticity and responsiveness.

“Sand is the most important ingredient in footing, and then the textiles and fibres are like the spices in your soup”, Oliver Hoberg (GER), the man in charge of the arena surfaces says.

Keeping that mix right, and maintaining the footing is all part of his daily routine, which involves dragging (raking) and watering, but the balance needs to be expertly monitored so that the surface allows horses to produce optimal performances.

Hoberg works in extremely close cooperation with the FEI Footing expert, Professor Lars Roepstorff (SWE), the scientific brain in the partnership who conducts daily checks on all the Equestrian Park arenas with a “mechanical hoof” originally created for testing racetrack surfaces. The hoof, which has now been adapted for the different equestrian sports disciplines, mimics the load placed on the horse’s leg and hoof when performing a Dressage test or landing over a fence, whether that’s on sand or on grass.

“Special sensors measure both horizontal and vertical forces as the mechanical hoof hits the ground and those sensors measure the response from the ground so we can actually measure what the horse feels when it jumps on the surface”, Professor Roepstorff says. “The footing is absolutely crucial, both to performance and to the health of the horse, and the different functional properties of the footing will affect how the horse performs.”

Those different functional properties allow for “tuning” of the surface, depending on the sport. But the only way to produce perfect footing is through perfect maintenance to ensure uniformity on all parts of the arenas.

“The footing is only as good as the level of maintenance”, Oliver Hoberg says. “In fact maintenance is just as important as the type of surface used in the arena.”

With the correct level of maintenance, modern all-weather footing lasts up to 20 years, so there’s a great post-Games legacy plan, as all the arenas will remain in-situ when the venue is handed back post-Paralympics to its owners, the Japan Racing Association, so that they can continue to be used for equestrian sport for many years to come.

But for Games time, the right blend of footing, monitoring and maintenance will provide the supremely fit Olympic equine athletes with the optimal stage on which to produce their peak performance. And they’ll be wearing their best shoes too!

TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES - Eventing Team and Individual Final 

Tokyo (JPN), 2 August 2021

 

Photo Caption: Germany’s Julia Krajewski has entered the equestrian history books as the very first female athlete to take the Individual Olympic Eventing title following victory with Amande de B’Neville at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Baji Koen tonight. (FEI/EFE)

 

Britain’s Oliver Townend, Laura Collett and Tom McEwen were in a league of their own when cruising to Eventing team gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Baji Koen Equestrian Park tonight. This was their country’s fourth team title but it’s been a very long wait since Richard Meade, Mary Gordon-Watson, Bridget Parker and Mark Phillips stood top of the podium a full 49 years ago in Munich in 1972. Australia took the silver tonight, while the defending champions from France claimed the bronze.

And Germany’s Julia Krajewski has entered the equestrian history books as the very first female athlete to take the Individual Olympic Eventing title. When the Games last took place in Tokyo back in 1964 the USA’s Lana du Pont was the first woman to compete in the three-day event, so female firsts and the Tokyo Olympics seem to be intrinsically linked.

In the battle for the remaining Individual podium places it was Britain’s Tom McEwen who took the silver while Australia’s Andrew Hoy clinched the bronze. Hoy’s result is nothing short of sensational because the three-time team gold medallist has a staggering record of participation at eight Olympic Games dating all the way back to Los Angeles in 1984. He was only 25 years old back then, and today at the age of 62 he’s as competitive as ever.

Team

Tom McEwen paved the path to Britain’s team victory with a superb round from Toledo de Kresker over the first of Santiago Varela’s beautifully decorated tracks tonight. And he was filled with confidence that his team-mates would do the rest of the work without difficulty.

A four-fence advantage and more after the previous day’s cross-country test had left his side sitting comfortably ahead, and as it turned out his confidence was not mis-placed. 

“He was incredible”, he said of his 14-year-old horse, “I just put him on the spot and he was up and away. Everyone that follows Eventing knows he’s a great jumper so it’s just up to me on top”, he added.

However team-mate Laura Collett had a scary moment when London 52 baulked at the water tray at fence four and scattered poles everywhere before regaining his equilibrium. “He started like his normal self but just as I came around the corner the light shone on the water and he suddenly started to draw back and I was quite far off it and he just went up and paddled. I was lucky he’s such a great jumper and it didn’t faze him and he got it back together and finished really nicely. I’m gutted and it’s a shame but I think it could have been a whole lot worse! I just hope I haven’t put too much pressure on Oliver”, she said.

Pressure

However it’s difficult to put too much pressure on Oliver Townend who was heading the Individual rankings going into today’s closing stages after a sensational run in both Dressage and Cross-Country with Ballaghmor Class. The first element of the double at fence nine, four fences from home, hit the floor but that still left Team GB finishing on a score of 86.30 and under no threat from their closest rivals.

The real battle was played out between Australia and France, Kevin McNab opening the Aussie account with a foot-perfect run with Don Quidam before Shane Rose’s Virgil also fell victim to the first element of fence nine. Meanwhile Nicolas Touzaint and Absolut Gold who were part of the gold medal winning French side at the Rio 2016 Games returned with just 0.4 for time, while second-line rider Karim Florent Laghouag faulted only at the first element of the triple combination at fence five.

The two sides had the started the day with a hair’s breadth between them, and even though Frenchman Christopher Six was clear and clean with Totem de Brecey, Andrew Hoy made no mistake with Vassily de Lassos to bag the silver when last to go, the two sides separated by just 1.3 penalties.

IOC Vice-President and Chair of the Coordination Commission for Tokyo 2020 John Coates was on hand to see Australia take team silver and offered his congratulations to the three team members.

Individual

The Individual finale was truly gripping as the top-25 slogged it out. Japan’s Kazuma Tomoto collected just 0.4 penalties when seventh-last to go with the lovely Vinci de la Vigne, and when France’s Christopher Six faulted at the last of the triple combination on the new course Tomoto began to move up the order.

Colletts’s bay gelding left the last two fences on the floor but when Hoy followed with a clear the top three had absolutely no breathing space. McEwen didn’t need any when executing yet another regal tour of the track but Townend’s luck ran out, his 4.8 penalties pushing him off the podium.

Last in, Krajewski could have been completely overwhelmed but held her nerve to deliver a fabulous round from the mare she calls Mandy. She would take the top step of the podium and her place in equestrian history, ahead of McEwen and Hoy in silver and bronze.

The 32-year-old rider who is based in Warendorf, Germany has had a really tough year, beginning with the passing of her father and then having to retire her top horse Samurai du Thot after he had his eye removed due to a lingering infection. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games seemed an impossible target after that, but when the young mare she calls Mandy won the CCI4* in Saumur, France and the pair took bronze at the German Championships in the spring, then suddenly the horizon was completely altered. And now she finds herself an Olympic champion.

A fairytale finish

“It’s the stuff that movies are made of, and yes I cried, because I was thinking of my family and my father and basically everyone who has been behind me. This is very much a fairytale finish for me!”, she said.

Silver medallist McEwen is 30 years of age and looks set on a long road of further success while Hoy was keen to declare that he’s not hanging up his boots anytime soon.  

“When I started in the sport I was really proud of being the youngest person in the team and now its just an absolute joy that I’m still here and so healthy. When people meet me in the Olympic Village they say, you are an official are you? And they look a bit surprised when I say no, I’m an athlete!”

He has enjoyed these Games as much as any and was full of praise for the organisation. “Without doubt the Japanese people, the country of Japan and the city of Tokyo deserve the biggest gold medal for putting these Games on. The effort they’ve gone to is incredible, and it’s a privilege to be here”, he concluded.

Quotes:

Julia Krajewski GER:  “I won my first Pony title 20 years ago and since then it’s been a roller-coaster really. It’s quite unreal.

Going in last tonight I wasn’t thinking about Olympic gold. I said we’re going to do a great round like jumping at home and that is all. 

Oliver Townend GBR: Talking about winning team gold - “It’s very unreal and hasn’t sunk in yet but at same time we were three riders on exceptional horses and that’s what’s been so special. All three of us have been on horses of a lifetime and we knew that coming here we had a very good chance.

Looking back at whole week I feel relieved and very proud of the whole team, not just the people here, but the whole team at home, people who put in the hard graft every day - they deserve this as well.

Laura Collett GBR: Talking about winning team gold - “Being on the podium was a completely surreal experience. I’m a bit lost for words, just to be here at an Olympics is a dream come true let alone win a gold medal. It’s going to take a few days, weeks, months for this to actually sink in. 

Andrew Hoy AUS: “We’ve got the most wonderful relationship, this horse and myself. He was so fresh he was having a little buck in the warm-up, it’s as if I did a dressage schooling exercise with him yesterday.  

We got the horse on 13th May 2017, the day Steffi and I got married, so an easy day to remember. Got him from Tom Carlile and for me it’s an absolute joy to work with him every day, every day he puts a smile on my face. 

Shane Rose AUS: “We’re all mates on this team so you ride everyone’s highs and lows with them, but we obviously think team first in Australia and how you perform individually affects your team-mates so you always want to give your best foot forward. So for me watching them do well is great, and if myself or them has a bad moment you feel  that with them. In Eventing we don’t get team opportunities very often, I’m basedin Australia and these guys are based in Europe so we only get to see each other every few years and when we do come together it’s amazing how quickly we bond. 

Karim Florent Laghouag FRA: “This team medal is very emotional. I miss having the public and would like to share this medal. All the team have received lots of messages and support and we are very grateful for the support and want to thank all the people that encouraged us. This medal belongs to them too!” 

Results here  

FEI Vaulting returned in great fashion over the weekend, as Boulerie Jump in Le Mans, France hosted the biennial FEI Vaulting World Championships for Juniors 2021.  An arena that has housed many momentous Vaulting moments once again provided the stage for Vaulting history, with Sam Dos Santos winning gold in the individual male competition, securing a first ever medal in Vaulting for The Netherlands.

Austria’s Anna Weidenauer took top honours in the female category, whilst Germany once again proved a Vaulting powerhouse taking two golds, with Arne Heers & Lily Warren untouchable in pas-de-deux and retaining the prestigious squad title.

Fifty-six competitors lined up at the start of the week in the female category showing an unprecedented standard. Coming into the final round it looked to be a two-way tussle between defending champion Mona Pavetic (GER) and Austria’s Anna Weidenauer.  Weidenauer, leader after the first round lost some of her 0.12 advantage to Pavetic in second round compulsories, resulting in a nail-biting finish.

Hailing from URC Wildegg, which has previously produced multiple female champions, Anna Weidenauer held her nerve to add her name to the history books. Alongside lunger Maria Lehrmann and Chivas 14, she took the top step of the podium on a combined score of 7.974, narrowly taking the title from the 2019 champion Mona Pavetic (7.931), with bronze going to Germany’s Gianna Ronca (7.820).

History was made in the individual male category as 15 year old Sam Dos Santos lead throughout all four rounds of the competition to secure the first ever medal for The Netherlands in Vaulting. Together with his lunger Rian Pierik and horse Chameur, his dynamic, expressive freestyle impressed both judges and audiences alike.  The Dutch trailblazer finished on a combined score of 8.360 marking a historic moment for Vaulting in The Netherlands.

The silver medal went to Germany’s Philip Goroncy (8.263), with his fellow compatriot Simon Stolz taking bronze (7.731).

In the pas-de-deux category Arne Heers and Lily Warren were in a league of their own.  Together with their horse Capitano 59 and lunger Sven Henze, they scored a spectacular 8.732 in the final round to finish on a combined total of 8.578, an impressive 0.5 ahead of their nearest competitors. 

Anna Weidenauer secured her second medal of the day as she partnered with Paul Ruttkovsky to take the second step on the podium (8.083).  Whilst having only secured their first ever Vaulting medal mere hours earlier, Sam Dos Santos & Elise Van De Ven took The Netherland’s medal tally to two, taking bronze (8.037).

In the squad competition Germany triumphed taking top honours on a score of 7.805.  With Michelle Arcori on the lunge and horse Elias 75, the highly decorated team from Ingelsberg fought off tough competition from the field who were all vying for the much sought-after squad title.  It was a fight to the end with the United States of America taking silver (7.669) and Switzerland bronze (7.655).

This week marked Vaulting’s triumphant return on the world stage, with the emergence of new stars and another nation staking a claim on the medals, for National Coach of the Netherlands Claire De Ridder the momentous achievements of Sam Dos Santos, Elise Van De Ven and the depth of talent they have coming through, she hopes can inspire the next generation.

“It is really incredible, we knew before he (Dos Santos) came here how talented he was, but he didn’t have competition experience.

“I hope from the achievements here this weekend that the sport will evolve more in The Netherlands. I hope it inspires younger Vaulters and shows them that it is possible to win medals and have these successes.  I am excited for the future, we have so much talent coming through.

“To see everyone here, united, it really brings people together and that is what Vaulting is all about.”

After yesterday’s thrilling day of action at the Cross-Country course at Sea Forest, the Eventing horses at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games came before the Ground Jury this morning for the second Horse Inspection at Baji Koen Equestrian Park. 

A total of 61 were presented, including 11 reserve horses that can be substituted under the new format rules. All the medal contenders were looking extremely sprightly and well, but one of the Polish team horses, Joanna Pawlak’s 12-year-old mare Fantastic Frieda, was sent to the holding box and then not accepted on reinspection.

Heading into the closing stages of the Team competition Great Britain sits in gold medal position ahead of Australia in silver and France in bronze. Britain also dominates the Individual rankings, with Oliver Townend (Ballaghmor Class) in gold medal spot and Laura Collett (London 52) in bronze, separated by Germany’s Julia Krajewski (Amande de B’Neville) in silver.

The medals will be decided in this evening’s Jumping phase. The Team Final and Individual Qualifier starts at 17.00, with 12 teams still in contention for medals. The top 25 will then go through to the Individual Final, which begins at 20.45 local time.

Standings here