The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decision in an equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance.

In this case, the horse Feline X (FEI ID 106LV53/GBR), ridden by Pane Singh Amar Singh (FEI ID 10048234/UAE) and trained by Fadhl Manea Saleh Al Mathil (FEI ID 10110945/UAE), tested positive for the Banned Substance Atenolol, a beta blocker used for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and obstructive cardiac disease, following samples taken at the CEI1* 80 - Euston Park (GBR), on 16 June 2019.

Neither the athlete, nor the trainer were able to account for the positive findings in the horse’s sample. Therefore, in its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal disqualified the horse and athlete from the event, and imposed a two-year suspension on the athlete and the trainer. The period of the provisional suspension of both athlete and trainer, which came into effect on 26 August 2019, shall be credited against the period of ineligibility, meaning both will be ineligible until 25 August 2021. The athlete and trainer were also each fined CHF 7,500.

The parties can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the decision.  

The full Decision is available here. 

Gerit Matthesen, the well-known and greatly respected German veterinarian, sadly passed away on 5 August 2021 after a short illness. He was 66.

Gerit Matthesen was a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee from 2007 to 2011 and was also one of the original members of the FEI Hypersensitivity testing team. He was due to be on duty at the FEI World Cup™ Finals 2021 in Gothenburg (SWE), but was already unwell and the Finals were unfortunately cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

FEI Official Veterinarian since 2009, throughout his career, Matthesen officiated as FEI Veterinary Delegate at numerous FEI events and was German National Head FEI Veterinarian from 2015 – 2021.

“Gerit was a cherished member of the equestrian community, and particularly in the equine veterinary world”, FEI Veterinary Director Göran Akerström said. “He was a great mentor, a wonderful friend and he will be sorely missed.”

The FEI expresses its sincere condolences to Gerit Matthesen’s family and friends, the German Equestrian Federation (GER) and the global equestrian and veterinary communities.

TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES - Team Jumping Final

It’s almost a century since Sweden last won Olympic Jumping Team gold, and when they did it tonight they did it with both style and grace.

A magnificent performance all week from Henrik von Eckermann with King Edward, Malin Baryard-Johnson and Indiana and Peder Fredricson with All In led to high expectations that this could be the night they would bring the ultimate honour back to their country for the first time in 97 years. But it wouldn’t be easy.

As the final competition played itself out it came down to a head-to-head with the feisty American threesome of Laura Kraut with Baloutinue, Jessica Springsteen with Don Juan van de Donhoeve and McLain Ward with Contagious, and they wouldn’t be handing anything over without a fight. The two sides completed today’s first round with eight faults apiece, and the battle lines were drawn.

Belgium was already assured of bronze when collecting 12 faults in the opening round. Team France looked set to be the biggest threat to all others when single time faults from both Simon Delestre and Berlux Z and Mathieu Billot with Quel Filou, in the opening round left them sitting pretty before Penelope Leprevost set off. But elimination at the third fence for Vancouver de Lanlore shattered the French dream of repeating the glory they enjoyed five years ago in Rio de Janeiro.

So Pieter Devos (Claire Z), Jerome Guery (Quel Homme de Hus) and Gregory Wathelet (Nevados S) could sit back in the knowledge that the third step of the podium would belong to Belgium, and the stage was set for one last roll of the dice for the Americans and Swedes.

Final showdown

With all three team members returning to the ring for the final showdown it was Kraut who led the way for the USA with her 11-year-old gelding, scorching through the finish in 41.33 seconds to set the pace. And although Sweden’s von Eckermann took a new route he was a little slower when breaking the beam in 42.00 seconds with King Edward who, sensationally, never lowered a single pole in five rounds of tough jumping this week.

Springsteen returned clear for USA in 42.95 seconds so when Baryard-Johnsson was quicker, crossing the line in 41.89, the Swedes already had a small advantage. But Ward was next to go, and shaving seconds off all those ahead of him he raced through the finish in 39.92 to really put it up to Swedish anchorman Fredricson.

But how cool is the man who took his second successive Individual silver medal, and with the same horse, just three days ago.

As he set off you could read the complete determination on Fredricson’s face. Did he feel the tension as he galloped down to the last fence, knowing what was hanging in the balance?

“Oh, the pressure was on!”, he admitted. “My god, in these situations when you have two teams like this you really want to win. McLain was fast, I saw his round and I knew what I had to do, and today the poles stayed up and the time was on my side!

“I had the speed and I gave him (All In) a lot of room. He’s in super shape, but I was really worried he would take the front pole with his hindlegs, but he came up!” he said after breaking the beam in an amazing 39.01 seconds to seal the victory.

In the end just 1.3 penalty points separated the two sides, but the joy in the aftermath for both teams was palpable. They’d been in a fair fight and the best side had won. No hard feelings, just delight in great sport played out between great opponents.

Enjoyed

Ward enjoyed every moment of it. “It was great to be in the battle!”, he said with a big smile. “Sweden’s win wasn’t unexpected here but they took it to another level, we would have had to have an incredible day to beat them. I think we pushed them right to the limit, and in competition when you push them to that limit and they still win you’ve got to be proud of the fight!”

“We just didn’t give up!”, agreed his team-mate Kraut. “It was hard-fought and Sweden were incredible all week, so if you’re going to lose you’re going to lose to them, and we can live with that!

Springsteen said, “it was wild, watching the last couple go, wondering if we would have to jump-off or not, you really got the jitters, but it was very exciting!”

But it was even more exciting for the new Olympic champions. There was no-one begrudging their success today. They won fair and square and they were immensely proud of their achievement.

“Yes it’s a dream come true - to win an Olympic gold medal I think that’s every athlete’s dream for sure!”, said Baryard-Johnsson. We’ve been so well prepared for everything at this championship, we’ve not missed out on anything, we have a team behind us that’s incredible. All of us, the way we’ve ridden shows how confident we’ve been and how they’ve all made it possible for us to totally focus on what to do in there. We knew it was very possible for a jump-off because it was only one round and we knew we didn’t want the silver medal this time!”, said the rider who was a member of the Swedish side that took Olympic team silver in Athens (GRE) 17 years ago.

More special

Von Eckermann just missed out in the Individual Final on Wednesday night when finishing fourth, “so that’s why it’s even more special tonight!”, he said. “It was a frustrating fourth place but I’m so happy that I pulled myself together and told myself to leave what I can’t change behind me and focus on this. No one can say we didn’t deserve it!”

And he added that there should be medals awarded to the horses as well as the riders. King Edward certainly deserved a medal having jumped through the entire week without ever dropping a pole.

Fredricson’s last round was the stuff of champions, and Ward, who has won plenty of accolades himself, acknowledged that. “He’s one of the best, and his record with that horse is spectacular. What horsemanship and what planning, and all the people around him. But he’s also been at the top of the sport with other mounts too which is testament to his riding, it’s not just one horse”, he said.

Typically modest, Fredricson was thoughtful when asked what tonight’s glorious victory meant to him.

“It’s unbelievably satisfying to get this gold. And my horse deserves it also for the way he jumped, I’m so happy for him and his owner and groom and the whole team and my team-mates. This is a great feeling!”, he said.

Facts and Figures:

Sweden last won Team gold at the Olympic Games in Paris in 1924 when the three-rider side consisted of Ake Thelning (Loke), Axel Stahle (Cecil) and Age Lundstrom (Anvers).

Sweden also won Olympic Team gold on home ground in Stockholm in 1912 and in Antwerp in 1920.

For tonight’s Final competition, two changes were made to the teams that competed in Friday’s Jumping Team Qualifier - Willem Greve and Zypria S stepped out of the Dutch team and Harrie Smolders stepped in with Bingo de Parc, while Rodrigo Pessoa and Carlito’s Way stepped out of the Brazilian team so Yuri Mansur and Alfons stepped in.

Final medal standings in Jumping:

Jumping Team: Gold - Sweden; Silver - USA; Bronze - Belgium.

Jumping Individual : Gold - Ben Maher (GBR), Explosion W; Silver - Peder Fredricson (SWE), All In; Bronze - Maikel van der Vleuten (NED), Beauville Z.

Quotes:

Ben Maher, Individual gold medallist, talking about Great Britain’s decision to withdraw from tonight’s competition after Holly Smith and Harry Charles collected 24 faults between them: “Holly and Harry are young riders, they’ve ridden incredibly tonight but unfortunately it hasn’t gone our way as a team. And Explosion’s welfare is paramount for me. I’m not a quitter on the team, I always push to the end but we’re an extremely long way off any medal contention and he’s done everything for Team GB and me as a rider this week and his welfare is a priority”.

Malin Baryard-Johnsson SWE, talking about her mare Indiana: “When she goes in a second time she’s always jumping better so I totally trust her, she made a tiny mistake in the first round and I was quite sure she wasn’t going to make another one the way she was jumping and the way she’s trying. She’s just incredible. It was up to me to make sure she was fast enough”.

Henrik von Eckermann SWE: “Somehow once we went to the jump-off we felt so prepared. We’d gone through every detail before and when Peder had the last fence down we said ok we have to see what happens then and everyone was very clear about what to do. Get on with it and don’t be second, whatever happens!

Results here

TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES - Jumping Team Qualifier

It was a tough day at the office for many of the nations competing in the Team Jumping Qualifier at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Baji Koen Equestrian Park today. But for Team Sweden it was just another walk in the park.

Since the action began on the first day of the Individual competition last Tuesday, Henrik von Eckermann’s King Edward, Malin Baryard-Johnsson’s Indiana and Peder Fredricson’s All In have not lowered a single pole.

Fredricson and the 15-year-old All In have an incredible record. They were faultless on their way to Individual silver at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and once again on their way to Individual silver here in Tokyo on Wednesday night.

It will be a whole new competition when the action resumes in tomorrow’s Team Final where the top-10 teams from tonight’s qualifier will battle it out once again, all starting on a zero score. But the Swedes look super-confident ahead of that showdown in which they will be challenged by Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, USA, France, Great Britain, Brazil and The Netherlands.

Dramatic exit

A number of countries made a dramatic exit, including Japan. Daisuke Fukushima and Chanyon, who finished Individually sixth, picked up eight faults when first to go for the host nation, but when Koki Saito and Chilensky were withdrawn that dashed their chances.

Then Irish pathfinder Shane Sweetnam and Alejandro fell at the water-tray vertical at fence 10. The grey gelding had been jumping erratically after paddling the first element of the triple combination at fence five. They left the arena unscathed, but Sweetnam was devastated for his team and for the horse who is normally so reliable.

“He’s an experienced horse, normally he’s very good but he pulled his shoe off going into the triple combination, I don’t know whether that hurt him but it definitely rattled him, and then after that you could see he was very unsettled and wasn’t like himself at all”, said the man who has long been a rock for the Irish side. But his team’s chances of a place in the Final were gone.

When the second rotation of riders got underway Israel’s Teddy Vlock took a fall at the previous liverpool oxer. His 11-year-old mare had already refused at the second fence and had two fences down along the way. Vlock was examined by medics after walking out of the arena and was cleared to go back to his hotel, but knowing that his country was now also out of the medal race.

Effortless ease

At the other end of the spectrum the Swedes were just waltzing home with effortless ease. “Our horses have been unbelievable!”, said Baryard-Johnsson. “I think we all have the same feeling that it felt quite easy every round in there - they are all jumping so well, every round!”

The Belgians and Germans also looked very comfortable, both completing with just four faults on the board all made up of time penalties. Gregory Wathelet was last to go for Belgium with Nevados S and felt he was in a comfort zone because his compatriots Pieter Devos with Claire Z and Jerome Guery with Quel Homme de Hus had only collected a single time penalty each. He added two more but didn’t feel under any pressure.

“I just had to go and see how my horse was feeling after the Individual Final because we all know tomorrow will be bigger like the (Individual) Final. It feels like he is fresh so I’m happy about that”, said the rider who finished ninth on Wednesday night.

Germany’s Maurice Tebbel and Don Diarado also picked up two time faults to add to the single faults collected by team-mates Andre Thieme with DSP Chakaria and Daniel Deusser with Killer Queen. Thieme had an interesting time in the arena and said afterwards, “I won’t win the prize for the most stylish round!”, but he was really proud of his 11-year-old mare.

Superstar

“She is a superstar and I’m not the only one thinking that. She is complete!”, he said. But that venue, those lights and jumps it’s maybe a bit early and too impressive for her because she’s young and green. But on the other hand if she goes through this she will learn something and everywhere else in the world it will be easy for her. I’m totally in love with this horse! She belongs to the family and she’s so special!”, he added.

Switzerland finished with 10 on the board, the USA with 13, the defending champions from France with 15, and Great Britain racked up 17. The final three teams to make the cut were Brazil who collected 25 faults, The Netherlands who picked up 26 and Argentina who finished with 27 and squeezed Egypt out of the top 10.

Also on the sidelines as the Final plays itself out tomorrow night will be the teams from China, Morocco, New Zealand, Czech Republic and Mexico.

It won’t be long before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team Jumping champions are crowned.

Facts and Figures:

Great Britain was heading the medal table with a total of 5 going into today’s Team Jumping Qualifier - so far they have won 2 in Eventing, 2 in Dressage and 1 in Jumping.

Germany has won four sets of medals to date, 1 in Eventing and 3 in Dressage.

19 teams of three riders started in this evening’s Olympic Jumping Team Qualifier.

France are defending Olympic team champions.

Quotes:

Shane Sweetnam IRL, talking about his round with Alejandro: "He’s jumped a lot of night classes, a lot under lights, and he started off settled tonight. I really think when he pulled the shoe he got rattled. After that he was just really, really nervous. It’s gutting. It’s my first time in the ring this week and it’s a hard one to swallow but this is the sport we’re in, and there are days that you are on top of the world and days you hit the bottom of the bucket.”

Ben Maher GBR, who won Individual gold on Wednesday night and who had just four faults in tonight’s competition with Explosion W: “I was happy, it was tough after the very fast round of jumping the other day and he gets more careful the faster he goes. It’s about giving him the confidence, maybe just there on the fault I left him a little bit on his own and I could have helped him a bit more but I was told by Scott Brash before I went in that we had a bit of a margin to make the team Final tomorrow and I could take it a little bit easier on Explosion and try to - sounds crazy at this level of competition - give him a bit of an easier round ,and if we make a mistake we still make the Final. It was enough, and tomorrow is a new day”.

McLain Ward USA, who posted five faults with Contagious. It was his first time in the arena at Baji Koen tonight. “We’ve been on ice for the better part of four weeks now, his last show was Rotterdam over a month ago, over the last 10 days I jumped eight or nine jumps so to come in and jump at this level is a real challenge. I had a lot of anxiety about it to be frank. But he was right there for me. I turned for home and maybe wanted to bring that nice score home and I didn’t fight as hard as I need to for that oxer (fence 12) but I knew what the situation was and I wanted to make sure there wasn’t going to be a major blunder.

When I originally got Contagious I didn’t think he was an Olympic horse but he’s proved us wrong in that today and he’s capable at this level. He always believed he could jump the big fences and he’s developed and he’s a trier and a fighter and I’m a trier and a fighter and I’m really proud of the horse and I feel we belong here.

Malin Baryard-Johnsson SWE, talking about her feisty mare Indiana: “I know her now many years and I’ve been through rounds better and worse riding wise, it took me a couple of years before I even felt safe on her, she was so difficult from the beginning. But we know each other so well and even when she’s at her worst to ride she always goes in and tries her hardest to jump the jumps. I can trust her and she really trusts me. So it’s more when she’s in her difficult way that it’s up to me to handle it. I just have to focus even more. I’ve said many times it’s good for my old brain because I really have to be sharp, anything can happen. It keeps me on my toes.

Results here

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