Tag Archives: Olympic Games

Competitions, Olympic Games, Show Jumping

Show Jumping Ready to Take Center Stage at Rio Olympic Games

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McLain Ward and Azur (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Show jumping enthusiasts from around the world have been eagerly anticipating the start of the third and final discipline at the 2016 Olympic Games. The show jumping competition got underway at Rio’s Deodoro Olympic Equestrian Center Friday with the horse inspection. Representing the United States are Lucy Davis, Kent Farrington, Beezie Madden, and McLain Ward. The U.S. team is led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland.

“The horses traveled well and arrived in great shape,” said Ridland. “We have been in Rio for a few days now and are a little anxious to get going. The horses all looked great in the training session Saturday, and we are looking forward to a great competition.”

Ward (Brewster, N.Y.) is riding in his fourth consecutive Olympic Games, having earned Team Gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Games. He will ride Double H Farm and Francois Mathy’s Azur, a 2006 Belgian Warmblood mare who has proven to be a force in Ward’s barn with impressive wins over the last two years. In 2015, they won the $132,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ class and $75,000 Big Ben Challenge at the Royal Horse Show® in Toronto. This year, they won the $400,000 ATCO Power Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Spruce Meadows, the $380,000 Suncast® Grand Prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival, and the Loro Piana Grand Prix at CSIO5* Rome. The pair was also a part of the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Teams at CSIO5* Rome and Aachen where the U.S. tied at both events for the Silver medal.

Davis (Los Angeles, Calif.), a first-time Olympian, will ride Old Oak Farm’s Barron, a 2004 Belgian Warmblood gelding. Aboard the chestnut gelding, Davis was a member of the Bronze-medal winning Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. In 2015, Davis and Barron contributed to the U.S. win at the 100th running of the Nations Cup of Germany, and were part of the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team that finished fourth at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final. The pair also placed ninth at the 2015 Longines FEI World Cup™ Final in Las Vegas. The pair has contributed to multiple successes for the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team this summer. They were a part of the U.S. teams that tied for the Silver medals at CSIO5* St. Gallen and Aachen, and earned the Silver medal at CSIO5* La Baule.

Farrington (Wellington, Fla.), also a first-time Olympian, will ride Amalaya Investments’ Voyeur, a 2002 KWPN gelding. In 2015, the pair amassed an impressive record of wins in world-class competition, including winning the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final, the $250,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ class at Lexington, the $400,000 Pan American Cup and $400,000 RBC Grand Prix at CSI5* tournaments at Spruce Meadows, and the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix at CSI5* Hamburg. Farrington and Voyeur were part of the U.S. Bronze medal team at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The pair also contributed to the Silver medal-tie for the U.S. at this summer’s CSIO5* Rome.

Beezie Madden and Cortes 'C' (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Beezie Madden and Cortes ‘C’ (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) is riding in her fourth consecutive Olympic Games, having been teammates of Ward’s for the U.S. Team Gold medal wins in 2004 and 2008, in addition to earning an Individual Bronze medal in 2008. She will ride her famed partner, Cortes ‘C’, a 2002 Belgium Warmblood gelding owned by Abigail Wexner. Madden and Cortes ‘C’ won Team and Individual Bronze medals at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. In 2015, the pair aided in the Gold-medal win by the U.S. team at the 100th Nations Cup of Germany at CSIO5* Mannheim, the Bronze-medal finish at CSIO5* Hickstead, and the fourth-place finish at the Furusiyya FEI™ Nations Cup Jumping Final. Following the team competition at Hickstead, the pair won the Longines King George V Gold Cup for the second consecutive year. The pair was also a part of the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team at CSIO5* Aachen where the U.S. tied for the Silver medal.

The show jumping competition will begin on Sunday with a total of 75 athlete-and-horse combinations representing 27 countries. Sunday’s first qualifying round will determine the starting order for the team competition, which commences with round one on Tuesday, August 16. Round two of team competition will be on Wednesday. The competition will come to a close with the Individual Final on August 19.

NBCOlympics.com Live Stream

Keep up-to-date on equestrian competition at the Rio Olympic Games on the USEFNetwork.com. Coverage includes links to live streams and TV coverage, athlete bios, behind-the-scenes photos, and more.

Classic Communications/USEF Communications Department

*Featured/Spotlights, Olympic Games, Show Jumping

A Believer and the Horse of a Lifetime: Stephan Barcha (BRA) and Landpeter do Feroleto

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Brazil’s Stephan de Freitas Barcha and Landpeter do Feroleto. (Arnd Bronkhorst/FEI)

Rio de Janeiro (BRA), 13 August 2016 – Everyone sat up and paid attention when a relatively unknown Brazilian called Stephan de Freitas Barcha produced two spectacular clear rounds in the super-tough team competition, the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™, at La Baule (FRA) and Falsterbo (SWE) this year. Double-clears at this level of the sport are hard to come by, but while many other top combinations struggled to make it happen, Barcha’s horse, Landpeter do Feroleto, made it look like a walk in the park. Fast-forward a couple of months and they popped around in the training session at the Olympic Equestrian Centre in Deordoro, giving the fences plenty of air.

Competing at the Olympic Games is a big step up for a young man on an upward trajectory, but both he and his horse are totally taking it in their stride.

Rio born and bred

“I’m from Rio and I have lived here most of my life. My father had a farm in the countryside where he bred a special kind of Brazilian working horse, the Margalanga Marchador. From the time I was five years old I liked to ride them and I always wanted to be around them but my mother was unhappy because I spent every weekend away from home and only got back late every Sunday night. So my parents decided I should start to ride at the Sociedade Hipica Brasiliera here in Rio and I grew up in this club. My family love being part of my riding career but it’s difficult for us to be together now that I am in Europe. I miss them, but they will all be here to see me compete!” the 26-year-old said just before he climbed into the saddle.

He has learned his trade from a master, Brazil’s Nelson (Neco) Pessoa, a household name in his country and a legend right across the sport. Barcha has been based with Neco for three years now, and it has been a fruitful learning curve. “During that time I have competed in three and four-star shows and I also did a season in Wellington (USA) but I never had a really good horse like this one until last year.

“Peter used to be ridden by my best friend Sergio Marins who competed for Brazil in Eventing at the Athens Olympics before turning to showjumping. He is Brazilian champion and we have known each other since we were small children. Peter’s owner is also my friend, Chiara Besanzoni (25), and Peter is Brazilian bred. I started riding him last year in Brazil; I took him to three shows here before bringing him back to Europe. Our first big result together was in the Grand Prix at the 5-Star show in Paris (FRA) and this year Nelson and I made a plan to try to be part of the team for Rio and it went really well. Peter is really good and Neco and I are really confident – this horse deserves this – and Sergio is also here this week to support us.”

Brave

Peter does indeed deserve to be at the Games. He is a spectacularly brave horse. Barcha talks about the horse’s courage and determination to survive after a horrific accident in which he was seriously injured. “When Sergio was competing him, Peter was travelling home from a show and the driver fell asleep. Some of the horses in the lorry were killed and Peter had a huge injury to his neck; it was cut wide open; you can still see it clearly.”

With blood pumping from an artery it was only the quick intervention of a top Brazilian vet that saved the horse’s life, “but this will tell you about my horse. He is so kind and gentle, and he still goes up the ramp of the lorry without even a small worry today. He just trusts you. And you know, I think he loves it here in Rio again; he’s really happy to be back home!”

Barcha describes himself as “a dreamer and a believer! When I started to ride in Europe with Neco I didn’t have a horse to be part of the Brazilian team but I always thought that I would somehow get my chance. This horse has given me my chance, and so has George (Morris, the Brazilian team manager). I met him in the USA some years ago and he saw me compete there, then he started with our team in January this year and we did a nice season together in Portugal where we won a Grand Prix and then we finished fourth in Maubeuge.

“Competing on the team at La Baule was my first opportunity to show what I could really do – I knew it was my chance and I would have to do great and Peter jumped amazing! And then he was brilliant again in Falsterbo. He is a wonderful horse!”

Barcha can’t wait for the Jumping action to begin Sunday. “Competing here is a huge pleasure, to be part of the Brazilian team at the Olympic Games in my home town, in my home country, to ride for 200 million Brazilians and to carry our flag; it’s fantastic! I just said to my team-mates that we must have fun and enjoy the experience. We have good riders with nice horses and we know what we are here to do. I believe in our team and we can have a really great week here. We are confident; we have great support and the atmosphere in the team is a bunch of guys who are very close.”

He knows he owes a lot to top trainer George Morris, who has been so influential in the careers of many of America’s top riders, and to Nelson Pessoa whose name has long been linked with great highlights of the sport.

“I’m 26, and when I was born Nelson was already 54 and George was 52. I am so lucky to work with them and when I am a grandfather I want to be able to tell my grandson about the opportunity life gave to me to be close to these two legends. Life isn’t easy in this sport, but I’m a fighter and I’m going to try to build my career and if, some day, I can be one percent of the legend that these two men are, then I will be very happy!”

The startlist for Sunday’s first Jumping qualifier will be available at this link: https://www.rio2016.com/en/equestrian-schedule-and-results.

Equestrian in the Olympics

Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic Games since 1912. Team and individual medals are awarded in three disciplines – Dressage, Eventing and Jumping. Uniquely across the Olympic Movement, men and women compete against each other for all the medals in equestrian sport.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

Rio 2016:

Anja Krabbe
Venue Media Manager
anja.krabbe@rio2016.com
+55 (21) 97556 1218

FEI:

Shannon Gibbons
Manager Press Relations
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
Email: ruth.grundy@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 145

Leanne Williams
Manager Press Relations
leanne.williams@fei.org
+41 79 314 24 38

Competitions, Dressage, Olympic Games

US Dressage Team Wins Bronze Medal at Rio 2016 Olympic Games

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Laura Graves and Verdades (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – The U.S. Dressage Team won the Bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on Friday following the conclusion of the second half of team competition, the Grand Prix Special. Led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Dover, the team, comprised of Allison Brock and Rosevelt, Laura Graves and Verdades, Kasey Perry-Glass and Dublet, and Steffen Peters and Legolas 92, won the Bronze medal on a final score of 76.667%. Germany won the Team Gold on 81.936%, while Great Britain claimed the Team Silver with a score of 78.595%.

The third day of dressage team competition featured the top six teams and eight individual combinations from the first two days’ Grand Prix at the Deodoro Olympic Equestrian Center. Each team’s top three scores from both the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special were averaged together to determine the team medals.

It took a personal best score of 80.644% from anchor rider Graves (Geneva, Fla.) and her own Verdades, a 14-year-old KWPN gelding, to claim the Team Bronze medal as The Netherlands moved slightly ahead of the U.S. before her ride. The pair held fifth place individually going into the Grand Prix Special and their performance was truly spectacular. The duo scored mostly 8s or above throughout the test and earned six 9s for their left canter pirouette down centerline and for their flying changes in canter.

“We’ve captured the elusive 80% – it does exist!” said a thrilled Graves, who was one of only five riders to score above 80%. “I knew the test was going well, but you just always hope that your reflections match up with the judges. I had no idea going into the ring what I needed for a score and to see my teammates so happy and then to achieve my personal best score – and a score I’ve been reaching for – was just icing on our cake today.”

Steffen Peters and Legolas 92 (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Steffen Peters and Legolas 92 (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Peters (San Diego, Calif.), competing in his fourth Olympic Games, rode Legolas 92, a 14-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Four Winds Farm. The pair held sixth place individually going into the Grand Prix Special and produced a superb test with one mistake coming at the beginning of the test in the left trot half-pass. The duo quickly recovered to produce a score of 74.622%.

“I’m super happy with Legolas. We delivered for the team; that was my goal and that’s what we did,” said a delighted Peters. “We had a couple of little fumbles – he lost his balance in the left half-pass which is uncharacteristic of him and we had a little delayed reaction into the first piaffe, but then he did it beautifully.

“The rest of the test was very clean,” he continued. “He did his changes very nicely, but I knew that after the half-pass ‘fumble’ that if we had one more mistake in the flying changes then we’d be below the required average score to stay ahead of The Netherlands. I knew going into the ring exactly what score I had to get and I’m super happy that it worked out – but it was close!”

Olympic first-timers Brock (Loxahatchee, Fla.) and Rosevelt, a 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Claudine and Fritz Kundrun, were the trailblazers as the first U.S. pair to perform its test. The duo executed a solid and confident test, earning a score of 73.824% from the seven judges with many good highlights throughout, earning high marks their first extended trot, flying changes, and extended canter.

“I was really happy with him,” remarked Brock. “He was really good. He was better than in the Grand Prix and did a clean test. That’s what we needed to do to set the stage for my teammates and we did it, so I’m really happy with him. I laughed a little at the end of my test because I said thank you [to Rosevelt] for doing this for me because it got hot in the ring and I just had to give him a lot of credit. He tried really hard. Bless him.”

Second up for the U.S. was Perry-Glass (Orangevale, Calif.) and Diane Perry’s 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Dublet. The pair produced a fluid test in the Grand Prix Special with especially beautiful passage work. Unfortunately, the pair had a mistake from the passage into the extended trot, but quickly regrouped and completed with a respectable 73.235% in their first Olympic Games.

“It wasn’t our best, but you know I have to give it to Dublet as he’s really trying to stay with me,” said Perry-Glass. “We have a couple kinks to work out, but it’s our first year and we moved up very fast, so I have to give him credit on that for staying patient and really trusting me in the ring. My plan was just to give him a good experience and also I was thinking about the team. I really wanted to do this for the team, but sometimes it’s just not your day.”

Reflecting on the Bronze medal win, Peters said, “First of all, a big thank you to Robert Dover [U.S. Dressage Chef d’Equipe], who was also on the team in 2004 [the last time the U.S. Dressage Team won a Team Olympic medal]. Today we knew it had to be above 75 percent and all four riders and horses are capable of delivering 76-77 percent, so we knew we had a chance, but when it actually happened it was amazing! If you wanted to see a 52-year-old guy acting like a 10-year-old boy, you should’ve seen me in the stands when Laura was coming down centerline – I was crying my eyes out and it was just one of those absolutely amazing experiences. There’s a lot of people who are certainly a big part of this medal.”

The top 18 competitors from the Grand Prix Special will now go on to compete in the Individual final, the Grand Prix Freestyle, on Monday. Only three athletes from each nation are eligible compete in the Freestyle, which ultimately decides the Olympic Champion. Graves, Peters, and Brock all qualified.

Keep up-to-date on equestrian competition at the Rio Olympic Games on the USEFNetwork.com. Coverage includes links to live streams and TV coverage, athlete bios, behind-the-scenes photos, and more.

Classic Communications/USEF Communications Department

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, Olympic Games

Normal Order Restored as Germany Takes Olympic Dressage Team Gold Once Again

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L to R – Isabell Werth, Dorothee Schneider, Sönke Rothenberger and Kristina Bröring-Sprehe. (Richard Juillart/FEI)

Rio de Janeiro (BRA), 12 August 2016 – Like re-booting to re-establish a connection, Germany clinched team Dressage gold in considerable style at the Olympic Equestrian Park in Deodoro. Germany has now won eight of the last nine Olympic team Dressage contests – with only Great Britain spoiling the party on home soil in 2012 – and the result brings the Germans overall tally to 13 sets of Olympic team golds.

Already looking like the ones to beat after topping Thursday’s Grand Prix, they stamped their authority all over Friday’s deciding Grand Prix Special with a team total of 81.936. Great Britain had to settle for silver with 78.595 while Team USA, posting 76.667, fended off the Netherlands for bronze. It was a tough day for the Dutch who lost out on a podium placing by a margin of just 1.15 percentage points. And with last-to-go German team member, Isabell Werth (47), posting the highest score of the day – 83.711 – with the fabulous mare Weihegold and pinning Britain’s 2012 double-champions Charlotte Dujardin (31) and Valegro into second place in the individual standings, the stage is set for a fascinating battle for the individual title in Monday’s Freestyle.

This was Werth’s sixth Olympic gold medal, her first two collected in Barcelona (ESP) in 1992 where she claimed team gold and individual silver. And she has now matched the record set by the Netherlands’ Anky van Grunsven with nine Olympic medals in total. If she picks up another on Monday she will hold a whole new record.

Sönke Rothenberger’s pathfinding ride for Germany with Cosmo was only good enough for 10th place at the end of a day on which many riders exceeded even their own expectations. The judges were unrelenting, however, in punishing mistakes and, already reduced to a team of three, Dutch chances of overtaking the Americans slipped away when Edward Gal and Voice posted 73.655. “I wanted to take some risks, but there were too many mistakes,” he admitted afterwards. Going in the latter stages of competition the Americans knew what they had to do, but it came down to the final rider to ensure the bronze, and Laura Graves and Verdades really nailed it with a personal-best score of 80.644.

In silver medal spot as the day began, the British felt the pressure, but Carl Hester wasn’t prepared to take any monkey-business from his naughty gelding, Nip Tuck, who lost marks with silly spooking in Thursday’s test. “There was no way he was going to do that again today!” he said after posting 76.485. And even though Dujardin’s performance wasn’t quite what she wanted due to a mistake in the first half-pass which cost her dearly, she still earned a massive 82.983.

But Dorothee Schneider and Showtime had already scored 82.619, and world number one Kristina Bröring-Sprehe and Desperados were only a little short of that with 81.401, so when Werth threw down 83.711 after a magical and confident test with the lovely mare Weihegold the German win was in the bag. Werth knew she had produced something extra-special. “Today’s performance was near the optimum. I don’t think it will be easy to repeat it – this was a day of days!” she said.

Result here

Quotes:

Edward Gal: “He (Voice) showed much more expression but with the mistakes the scores were really low. He felt sharper than in the Grand Prix; we had a mistake in the two-tempis and then he felt like he wanted to run away. I had to take some risks but I made too many mistakes and that was a pity.”

Diederik van Silfhout NED: “I’m really happy; he didn’t make any mistakes he just got a little bit tired at the end. It was a long trip and he’s been here now two weeks. You do best but I was hoping for 78/79. I had a good feeling coming out of the arena so I was a bit disappointed with the result. He was really sharp and up; he always wants to fight and to go brilliantly. After yesterday we just said we would give everything today and do our best.”

Hans Peter Minderhoud NED: “It was much better than yesterday, more freshness and energy; there were some small things but I was disappointed with the score – it’s two points less than yesterday. We (the Dutch team) talked together as a group yesterday and agreed we didn’t want to go home without a medal so we would fight, so we had to take some risks today and now we have to wait. The new draw in the group is not good for us; there is only one percent difference with the Americans but it’s quite tough how it works. They all have a number four rider too; it hasn’t been an easy time for us at this championships but we did what we could – we will wait and see.”

Dorothee Schneider GER: “My horse did an amazing job; he felt easy. I was so delighted. In passage I had so much power in the hind end. Going into Freestyle I’m 50 kilos lighter! He’s fit and he wants to do it, so I won’t do too much with him before Monday.”

Steffen Peters USA:  “There were a couple of little fumbles but 74.198 was the score we needed before I went in and I got 74.622. I’ve been waiting for this since 1996!”

Fiona Bigwood GBR: “She (Orthilia) spooked at a camera; they are flight animals so what can you do – it was just one of those things.”

Laura Graves USA: “To get that elusive 80 percent and to do it at the Olympic Games! I knew it was going well and you hope that is reflected by the marks from the judges. I had no idea what I needed to do; there was pressure but it doesn’t achieve anything to let it get to you. He (Verdades) gets pretty wound up in the warm-up but he is a great performer when he comes into the ring; he really likes it!”

Equestrian in the Olympics

Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic Games since 1912. Team and individual medals are awarded in three disciplines – Dressage, Eventing and Jumping. Uniquely across the Olympic Movement, men and women compete against each other for all the medals in equestrian sport.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

Rio 2016:

Anja Krabbe
Venue Media Manager
anja.krabbe@rio2016.com
+55 (21) 97556 1218

FEI:

Shannon Gibbons
Manager Press Relations
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
Email: ruth.grundy@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 145

Leanne Williams
Manager Press Relations
leanne.williams@fei.org
+41 79 314 24 38

Competitions, Dressage, Olympic Games

US Dressage Team Moves Up Leaderboard after Second Day of Grand Prix Competition

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Steffen Peters and Legolas 92 (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – The second day of dressage competition at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games had sunshine beaming down on the Deodoro Olympic Equestrian Center as the remaining 30 athlete-and-horse combinations took to the main arena to perform the Grand Prix test, the first of two tests in team competition. The U.S. team, which held fourth place after the first day of competition on Wednesday, has moved into third in the team standings on an average of 76.971% after anchor riders Steffen Peters and Laura Graves performed excellent tests aboard their experienced mounts. Of the 11 nations competing in the team competition, Germany is in the lead on an average of 81.295%, while Great Britain is in second on 79.252% going into Friday’s final phase of the team competition, the Grand Prix Special.

Peters (San Diego, Calif.) made his fourth Olympic Games appearance aboard Legolas 92, a 14-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Four Winds Farm. The pair competed during the first half of the competition Thursday morning and performed a spectacular Grand Prix test, earning high marks from the seven-judge jury for their piaffe-passage tours, achieving a well-deserved score of 77.614%. This strong showing put them into sixth place individually going into Friday’s Grand Prix Special.

“Legolas delivered everything that I dreamed of,” said a delighted and emotional Peters. “I’m just so excited that he did one of the best tests of his life – probably one of the best tests of my life – and it’s always been my dream to deliver for my team! It’s the Olympic Games and we are 90% about the Team medal and the other 10% – or maybe even less – about the Individual medal. It’s been a difficult road with him – sometimes I don’t know exactly which horse is going into the show arena, but he did not change one single bit from the warm-up arena to the show arena today, and there was not one single point that we gave away.

“Legolas’s half-passes in the trot felt amazing and the trot extensions got better, which has always been a weak point,” remarked Peters on his favorite parts of their test. “His piaffe-passage were very high today; I was able to keep the 15 steps of piaffe in place. This was the test that I dreamed of for my team. It was just one of those awesome days!”

Laura Graves and Verdades (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Laura Graves and Verdades (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Graves (Geneva, Fla.) and her own Verdades, a 14-year-old KWPN gelding, impressed in their Olympic debut, performing an outstanding test to become the highest-placed U.S. rider with a score of 78.071%, good for fifth place individually. The pair’s fluid and powerful test earned a plethora of 8s throughout the performance, as well as several 9s for her right half-pass, left canter pirouette, and passage down the last centerline.

“My horse was really super!” said a delighted Graves. “I’m very happy with the feeling he gave me today and the way the training is reflecting in the arena.”

In regards to her favorite parts of her test, Graves remarked, “I’m really happy with the pirouettes and the passage-piaffe, which is a talent for this horse, but not so much in the arena when he’s not sure where to be with his big legs. I feel that’s really improved in the last two months.”

U.S. teammates Kasey Perry-Glass (Orangevale, Calif.) aboard Dublet and Allison Brock (Loxahatchee, Fla.) with Rosevelt put in impressive performances Wednesday, which put the U.S. into fourth place overnight. After Thursday’s competition Perry-Glass holds 17th place individually with her score of 75.229%, while Brock is in 25th place with 72.686%.

“I can’t say enough good things about our team,” said Graves. “The word team has a lot of different meanings, and for us as equestrians, I think the Olympics is very special, as we have a large team of people including our trainers, friends, family, as well as each other, and I couldn’t ask to be here with a better group of people. Here we also get to be Team USA, which is also really special, and it’s definitely a memory that we’ll all have for a lifetime.”

“It’s going to be a tight, tight horse race, so to speak,” commented Peters about the team standings. “Tomorrow is another day, but today I just couldn’t be happier. There’s so much comradery on our team. We’ve been training together for three months, and every day we all watch each other. It doesn’t matter if it’s 6:30 in the morning, every single team member is there, and it’s the same here in Rio. Every day we come to the barn and there is a big group hug. I’m just so honored to be with these talented girls as part of the team.”

The dressage team competition continues Friday with the Grand Prix Special. The top six teams from the Grand Prix will move forward to the Grand Prix Special, after which each team’s top three scores from both tests are added together to decide the Team medals. The top 18 competitors from the Grand Prix Special will go on to compete in the Individual final, the Grand Prix Freestyle, on Monday, August 15. Only three athletes from each nation are eligible compete in the Freestyle, which will ultimately decide the Olympic Champion.

NBCOlympics.com Morning Live Stream
NBCOlympics.com Afternoon Live Stream

Keep up-to-date on equestrian competition at the Rio Olympic Games on the USEFNetwork.com. Coverage includes links to live streams and TV coverage, athlete bios, behind-the-scenes photos, and more.

Classic Communications/USEF Communications Department

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, Olympic Games

Queen Charlotte Steals the Show, but Germany Leads Olympic Dressage Team Rankings

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Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro. (Richard Juillart/FEI)

Rio de Janeiro (BRA), 11 August 2016 – The multiple record-breaking British partnership and defending Olympic champions, Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, more than lived up to expectations when producing the top score as the Dressage Grand Prix drew to a close at the Olympic Equestrian Venue in Deodoro. But not even the shining star of the sport could halt the steady march of the Germans who look set to claim their 13th Olympic team title Friday.

“If there is no drama, which we all know can happen, we will hopefully take home the gold!” said five-time Olympic gold medallist Isabell Werth (47), who helped anchor the German total at 81.295 with a great test from the mare Weihegold. But the British are breathing down those German necks on 79.252, just over two percentage points behind, while Team USA is sitting in bronze medal spot another two points further adrift.

Only the top six teams from the Grand Prix go through to Friday’s Grand Prix Special team medal decider, so Spain, France, Australia, Brazil and Japan have now slipped out of contention, leaving the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark still in the medal race along with the leading pack.

Germany was already out in front after two riders from each side competed Wednesday, and looked set to gain an even bigger advantage after Kristina Broring-Sprehe (29) posted a massive 82.257 with Desperados. “We are here over eight days now so I was very happy to begin!” said the world number one afterwards.

And when Dujardin’s London 2012 gold medal winning team-mate Carl Hester (49) had some tricky moments with Nip Tuck, the British looked vulnerable. The 12-year-old gelding is notoriously spooky, unshipping his rider during a training session at last year’s FEI European Championships in Aachen, Germany when he took fright, and living up to his reputation again Thursday.

“He is probably the biggest horse here, but he has the heart of a mouse!” said Hester, who is also team coach. “He is good with noise but very visual. It was probably something ridiculous that spooked him, like a flower moving in a pot – maybe he needs glasses!” Hester joked. “He went fantastic all week and we had ten minutes in the arena this morning and he was totally relaxed. He had me completely fooled. I didn’t expect this and I’m gutted!”

Dujardin rode to the rescue, however, her fabulous 14-year-old gelding producing one of those spell-binding performances which have ensured his superstar status. “I can’t help but smile when I ride Valegro,” she said. “Today I didn’t even have to ask him to do a thing; he just did it himself! He enjoyed it and it felt easy; he just tries his heart out.”

The 31-year-old is really enjoying her second Olympic experience. “Some people come to the Olympics under pressure, but they still have to do the same as at any other show so I’m enjoying it and having the time of my life. I’m in the village with the world’s best athletes. ‘Oh there’s Roger Federer, oh there’s Nadal, or Murray’ and I’m star-struck! I’ve been pin-swapping and everything; it’s just great fun!”

A score of 85.071 left her out in front individually and brought Team GB back up into second place, but although the Germans now hold the next three slots to cement their position at the head of affairs, it’s still tight at the top and it’s still all very much to play for as the action resumes in the morning.

The Americans will also have to stay on their toes to fend off the Dutch who are very hot on their heels, less than one percentage point behind. Olympic veteran, Steffen Peters (51), boosted Team USA’s chances with a mark of 77.614 with Legolas. “This was one of the biggest tests of my horse’s life and it’s difficult, but there wasn’t a single point we gave away,” he said. “He delivered the test I dreamed of for my team! It’s going to be tight here now for the team placings though,” he said earlier in the afternoon. And he was right, with team-mate Laura Graves pulling her side closer to the top of the leaderboard but leaving them still just off a podium placing when scoring 78.071 with Verdades.

Full results here

Quotes:

Laura Graves (USA): “I had my horse out here this morning for a little bit of very light schooling and he was so quiet and so relaxed; I popped on him again this afternoon and he was very quiet and then the wind popped up and the plastic bags around the speaker started going and he just burst into action so I was kind of happy with that! I didn’t get a chance to settle him down before he came in (to the arena) and unfortunately I didn’t ride clean today but super-happy with the feeling and the way the training is reflecting in the arena.

“Can’t say enough good things about our team. Team has a lot of different meanings, and for us as equestrians in particular I think the Olympics is very special. We have the team of our horses and ourselves, and then we have our trainers and our friends and family, and we have each other – I couldn’t ask to be here with a better group!”

Kristina Broring-Sprehe (GER): “It was really good today but we did make a few mistakes. In the piaffe we lost rhythm and there was a mistake in the zig-zag. I’m very proud of him. It was his first time on a flight coming here and he was a bit nervous at first but he’s really happy here now. We are here over eight days so we are happy to begin. We have a very strong team and Sonke (Rothenberger) and Dorothee (Schneider) were great yesterday. I hope Isabell will do the same!”

Patrik Kittel (SWE): “I’m really happy; there was great harmony; there were some small things but at the end of the day I’m very happy. Now I can say I’ve done my third Olympic Games; it’s quite a relief when you’ve actually done it! Everything is special about the Olympics; it’s all crazy-cool, and every time you do it you can’t get enough of it; it’s the same for every sportsman; I think they will all agree with me about that. I enjoyed the test; sometimes you go in there and you just want to go home, but my horse felt really confident today. Scandic (now retired) used to be a bit spooky and scared, but Deja is much more secure in herself; she’s a super character and a very sweet horse. She’s really easy; you could put her in a headcollar and ride her around here!”

Charlotte Dujardin (GBR): “Valegro has the biggest heart; he’s very intelligent and very brave. His only weakness is that, like me, he loves his food. He gets ‘hangry’ when he can’t eat and if I have food in my hand he’ll follow me wherever I go!”

Equestrian in the Olympics

Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic Games since 1912. Team and individual medals are awarded in three disciplines – Dressage, Eventing and Jumping. Uniquely across the Olympic Movement, men and women compete against each other for all the medals in equestrian sport.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

Rio 2016:

Anja Krabbe
Venue Media Manager
anja.krabbe@rio2016.com
+55 (21) 97556 1218

FEI:

Shannon Gibbons
Manager Press Relations
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
Email: ruth.grundy@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 145

Leanne Williams
Manager Press Relations
leanne.williams@fei.org
+41 79 314 24 38

Competitions, Dressage, Olympic Games

US Olympic Dressage Team Gives Strong Start at Rio Olympic Games

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Allison Brock and Rosevelt (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Dressage competition got underway Wednesday at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, as 29 of the total 60 competitors representing 19 countries took to the main arena under cloudy skies at the Deodoro Olympic Equestrian Center to perform in the Grand Prix, the first test in the team competition. The U.S. team, going eighth in the order of the 11 nations, finished day one in fourth place after two superb performances from Allison Brock and Kasey Perry-Glass. Leading the team standings is Germany, while The Netherlands sits in second place, and Great Britain holds third.

Brock (Loxahatchee, Fla.), competing in her first Olympic Games, had the position of riding as pathfinder for the U.S. but kept her cool aboard Rosevelt, a 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion owned by Claudine and Fritz Kundrun. The pair has had much success at the international level over the past three years, both in the U.S. and Europe, and it clearly showed. With the exception of a mistake in the canter two-tempi changes, they executed a fluid test with several high points. They received many scores of 8 for their transitions and extended work in the walk and trot from the seven judges including Peter Holler (K), Susanne Baarup (E), Gary Rockwell (H), Stephen Clarke (C), Maribel Alonso (M), Thomas Lang (B), and Eddy de Wolff van Westerrode (F). The pair earned a score of 72.686%, placing it tied for seventh in the individual standings.

“Rosevelt felt great as he cantered in and halted, and his first trot extension felt amazing!” said a delighted Brock after her test. “He was trying really hard, and I have to give him a lot of credit as it’s both of our first Olympic Games and it’s a lot to be here, but he handled everything quite well. He has a super walk, and his trot work is really strong, but mostly he’s really fluid and consistent. The mistake in the two-tempis was totally my fault. My mind drifted when I heard the music playing in the background and I lost count. He’s a very sweet horse; he always tries to be a gentleman and is really reliable. He likes it here and likes this venue. I’m really pleased with how it went today.”

Kasey Perry-Glass and Dublet (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Kasey Perry-Glass and Dublet (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Second to go for the U.S. were Perry-Glass (Orangevale, Calif.) and Dublet, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Diane Perry. Going late in the day, the Olympic first-timers made the most of their moment in the spotlight, earning a score of 75.229% to hold fifth place individually. Despite some noise distractions, the pair performed a smooth and elegant test, which earned many high marks, including multiple 8s from the judges for their passage work and flying changes. The pair also scored several 9s for movements including the right canter pirouette, piaffe-passage transition, and the final halt and salute.

“I was really proud of Dublet today,” said Perry-Glass with a smile. “He hung in there really well for me, especially with all the unexpected noise. To be able to keep him focused and together was a challenge for both of us, but he was there and ready to go! I really thought his piaffe-passage tour was really good, as were his two-tempis. We’re just fine-tuning the little things as it’s our first year competing in the Grand Prix internationally, so we’re just thrilled to be where we are!”

Competing for the U.S. in the second half of the Grand Prix on Thursday is Steffen Peters with Legolas 92, riding at 10:54 a.m. ET. Laura Graves and Verdades will anchor the U.S. team, entering the arena at 2:06 p.m. ET.

Leading the Individual standings after day one is Germany’s Dorothee Schneider with Showtime FRH on 80.986%, while countryman Sonke Rothenberger and Cosmo hold second with a score of 77.329%. Great Britain’s Fiona Bigwood and Orthilia are in third place on 77.157%.

The dressage team competition continues tomorrow, Thursday, August 11. The top six teams from the Grand Prix will move forward to Friday’s Grand Prix Special, after which each team’s top three scores from both tests are added together in order to decide the Team medals. The top 18 competitors from the Grand Prix Special will go on to compete in the individual final, the Grand Prix Freestyle, on Monday, August 15. Only three athletes from each nation are eligible compete in the Freestyle.

Grand Prix day two morning live stream
Grand Prix day two afternoon live stream

Keep up-to-date on equestrian competition at the Rio Olympic Games on the USEFNetwork.com. Coverage includes links to live streams and TV coverage, athlete bios, behind-the-scenes photos, and more.

Classic Communications/USEF Communications Department

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, Olympic Games

Emotional Roller-Coaster on Opening Day of Olympic Dressage

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Japan’s Akane Kuroki. (Richard Juillart/FEI)

Rio de Janeiro (BRA), 10 August 2016 – Great tests from both Dorothee Schneider and Sonke Rothenberger have given Team Germany a firm hold at the top of both the individual and team leaderboards after the opening day of Olympic Dressage at Deodoro Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro (BRA). The Grand Prix is the first of the two competitions that will decide the team medals, and 29 of the 60 competing horse-and-rider combinations took their turn during the day.

It was an emotional roller-coaster from the outset, 38-year-old Akane Kuroki bursting into tears of relief and delight after posting a score of 66.90 with Toots to get the Japanese effort underway. There was deep disappointment for The Netherlands’ Adelinde Cornelissen who had to retire when her great campaigner, the 19-year-old gelding Parzival, was way under par, however. The pair who took team bronze and individual silver at London 2012 began their performance, but the 37-year-old rider felt her faithful gelding was unable to show his best.

“It started yesterday morning. I came to the stable and his cheek was completely swollen and it appeared he was bitten by a spider or a mosquito or whatever… he had a fever, so we managed to get that down yesterday – eight or nine hours on liquids and everything was good, his temperature was down again, and this morning also. So I discussed it with the team vet and he said go ahead, give it a try, but then he felt totally empty in the ring, and I didn’t want to push him through this – he didn’t deserve that,” Cornelissen explained.

Next to go, however, Rothenberger was on the opposite end of the adrenalin spectrum when rocketing right to the top of the scoreboard with some fabulous work with a gelding more than half Parzival’s age, the nine-year-old Cosmo. “I’m very happy; he’s the youngest horse in the field and I am one of the youngest riders!” said the 21-year-old. He’s very excited to be representing his country at the Olympic Games. “It’s amazing to be part of this team – I hoped to take the pressure away from the others with a good score,” he said. He has built up a great relationship with his Cosmo and clearly admires this horse. “I first rode dressage in pony classes then I went jumping, but Cosmo got me back into dressage. I thought jumping a 1.60m fence was the only thing that could give me goose-bumps but Cosmo proved I was wrong about that!” he explained after scoring 77.329.

Then Fiona Bigwood set British hearts racing with a great test from Orthilia that put her, temporarily, into second spot. It’s a real family outing in Rio for the 46-year-old rider who has brought her three young children and whose husband, Anders Dahl is competing for Sweden, another of the 11 nations contesting the team medals. Bigwood competes with a patch over her right eye following an injury that seriously damaged her sight two years ago. But she steered her 11-year-old mare to a great mark of 77.157.

“That’s a lovely score on the board for the English team,” she said after leaving the ring. Talking about her restricted vision, she explained, “In the warm-up, I can’t see to the right so I get nervous. It took some time to adjust, but I’m used to it now and this mare is wonderful. I wouldn’t be here riding any other horse.”

With Cornelissen unable to contribute to the team effort, a good result was required from her Dutch team-mate Edward Gal, and he didn’t disappoint when putting 75.271 on the board.  His horse, Voice, is sensitive, so he said, “In the first part of the test, I was bit careful because he wanted to run away!” But he was still thinking about Cornelissen’s disappointment – “I tried to comfort her, but it was very sad for her,” he said.

Schneider was last to go with Showtime FRH, and from the moment the pair came before the judges the scores went into overdrive, a handsome 80.986 putting them way out in front.

“I have this horse since he was three and at the beginning of this year he turned a corner and he said, ‘I am here!’ The feeling you get with him is amazing outside in the warm-up, and then when you come into the arena, he says ‘I want to do this with you’ and he goes in a light way. It’s easy; you don’t have to use pressure, although in the left pirouette there was a little misunderstanding today, but I’m very happy!” said the 47-year-old who was a member of the German silver-medal-winning team at London 2012.

The Grand Prix continues Thursday and is followed by the Grand Prix Special on Friday which will decide the team title. As Thursday’s action begins, Germany’s Schneider and Rothenberger hold the first two places followed by Bigwood in third and Gal in fourth, while Germany tops the team rankings with The Netherlands in second and Great Britain in third.

Quotes:

Mary Hanna AUS – “I’m thrilled with him; this was a personal best for him; he has only done five Grand Prix in his life! He was a bit of a child delinquent; he once bolted with me at a show and it really wasn’t nice; he was not so easy and reliable; he’s dumped a few people in his time, but he’s a very well-behaved young man now!

“I used to be an event rider. I had a dressage horse and I tried to event him, but he didn’t like to gallop and he fell in a ditch one day and cut his face, so I decided we should stick to dressage. I train with Patrik Kittel (SWE) and I’m based in Munster (GER); we have a little Aussie community there!”

Sonke Rothenberger – “We got Cosmo at four years old and my father rode him until he was six and then I took him over. He’s a very special horse.”

Full results here

Equestrian in the Olympics

Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic Games since 1912. Team and individual medals are awarded in three disciplines – Dressage, Eventing and Jumping. Uniquely across the Olympic Movement, men and women compete against each other for all the medals in equestrian sport.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

Rio 2016:

Anja Krabbe
Venue Media Manager
anja.krabbe@rio2016.com
+55 (21) 97556 1218

FEI:

Shannon Gibbons
Manager Press Relations
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
Email: ruth.grundy@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 145

Leanne Williams
Manager Press Relations
leanne.williams@fei.org
+41 79 314 24 38

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, Olympic Games

US Dressage Team Prepared for Competition at Rio Olympic Games

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Kasey Perry-Glass and Dublet (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Dressage competition at the Rio Olympic Games got underway at the Deodoro Olympic Equestrian Center Monday with the horse inspection. A total of 59 athlete-and-horse combinations representing 18 countries are set to compete in Wednesday’s Grand Prix, the first test in team competition. The U.S. has drawn eighth in the order of 11 teams and will be represented by Allison Brock, Laura Graves, Kasey Perry-Glass, and Steffen Peters. The U.S. team is led by U.S. Dressage Chef d’Equipe Robert Dover, a six-time Olympian and winner of four Team Bronze medals.

“I have been thrilled with all of the riders,” said Dover. “Individually, Allison Brock and Rosevelt have been ramping up day-by-day to show more and more brilliance. Kasey Perry-Glass has been thrilling to watch and truly, for a young person at her first Olympic Games, the learning curve, even here during the last week, has been awesome to watch. Verdades [ridden by Laura Graves], has scope beyond scope and Laura is paying the greatest attention to the minutia, the details that tend to set apart the very, very best from everybody else with nice horses. And then of course Steffen Peters, here at his fourth Olympic Games with Legolas, has actually found new strengths, new scope, and abilities and so I’m just very, very hopeful and really proud to be a part of their team.”

U.S. team will compete in the following order.

Day one, Wednesday, August 10: Leading the way for the U.S. will be Brock (Loxahatchee, Fla.), a first-time Olympian, who will ride Claudine and Fritz Kundrun’s Rosevelt, a 2002 Hanoverian stallion. This longtime partnership has been developing at the Grand Prix level over the past three years with consistent successes in the U.S. and Europe. This spring at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, the pair capped off the season by winning the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special in the CDI3* presented by Stillpoint Farm.

Perry-Glass (Orangevale, Calif.), a first-time Olympian, will be next in the order with Diane Perry’s Dublet, a 2003 Danish Warmblood gelding. Following a solid career at the Small Tour level, the pair moved up to the Grand Prix this winter and has had remarkable success in just a few short months. The pair placed in the top three in all of its 2016 CDI outings during the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, including as members of the Gold medal-winning The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team at CDIO3* Wellington presented by Stillpoint Farm, where they also won Individual Silver. This summer in Europe, Perry-Glass and Dublet won the Grand Prix at CDIO5* Compiègne as part of the Gold-medal winning The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team.

Steffen Peters and Legolas 92 (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Steffen Peters and Legolas 92 (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Day two, Thursday, August 11: First in the ring for the U.S. on day two of the Grand Prix will be Peters (San Diego, Calif.), a four-time Olympic veteran with a Team Bronze medal (1996). He will ride Four Winds Farm’s Legolas 92, a 2002 Westphalian gelding. Last summer, Peters and Legolas 92 represented the U.S. at the Pan American Games, winning Team and Individual Gold medals. This winter, the pair won in all of its West Coast CDI outings. Competing in Europe this summer, the pair won the Grand Prix at CDI4* Roosendaal.

Anchoring the U.S. team will be first-time Olympian, Graves (Geneva, Fla.), riding her own Verdades, a 2002 KWPN gelding. 2015 was an immensely successful year for the pair as it finished fourth in its first Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final appearance, earned Team Gold and Individual Silver medals at the Pan American Games, and was crowned The Dutta Corp./USEF Dressage Grand Prix National Champions. Competing at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival earlier this year, the duo won both the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special at the CDI5* presented by Diamante Farms, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle at the CDI4* presented by Havensafe Farm, and were members of the Gold medal-winning The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team at the CDIO3* Wellington presented by Stillpoint Farm, where they also won Individual Gold. This summer, the pair was a part of the Gold-medal winning The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team at CDIO5* Compiègne, and the Silver-medal winning U.S. team at CDIO5* Rotterdam where they also topped the Grand Prix Special.

The first test in team competition, the Grand Prix, runs August 10-11. The second and final test of team competition, the Grand Prix Special, will follow on August 12. Dressage competition concludes on August 15, with the Grand Prix Freestyle.

Keep up-to-date on equestrian competition at the Rio Olympic Games on the USEFNetwork.com. Coverage includes links to live streams and TV coverage, athlete bios, behind-the-scenes photos, and more.

Classic Communications/USEF Communications Department

*Featured/Spotlights, Eventing/H.T., Olympic Games

French Win Eventing Team Gold; Germany’s Jung Takes Second Successive Individual Title

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(L to R) the silver medallists from Germany Michael Jung, Sandra Auffarth, Julia Krajewski and Ingrid Klimke; the French gold medallists Thibaut Vallette, Astier Nicolas, Karim Laghouag and Mathieu Lemoine; the bronze medallists from Australia, Christopher Burton, Shane Rose, Sam Griffiths and Stuart Tinney. (Arnd Bronkhorst/FEI)

Rio de Janeiro (BRA), 9 August 2016 – France claimed team gold and Germany’s Michael Jung took his second successive individual title as Olympic Eventing drew to a close at Deodoro Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro (BRA).

Team

In a cliff-hanger of a contest it came down to the last four into the arena to decide the team result, and it was the defending champions from Germany who claimed silver with Australia slipping from the overnight lead to take the bronze.

The Australians were in charge as the day began, but with only a 4.5 point advantage over their New Zealand neighbours while the French were just 6.2 further adrift and the Germans were stalking the leading pack over 11 penalty points further behind. France was the only one of the leading sides to go into the closing phase with a fully intact four-member team, however, and in the end that proved the clincher.

The 12-fence track tested the turning skills of horses that took on one of the toughest Olympic Eventing cross-country tracks of all time Monday. But most were jumping fresh and well again and the pure quality of the four French horses was key to success.

Australia’s grip on the lead was severely undermined by a cricket score for their opener, Stuart Tinney, whose horse Pluto Mio kicked out four fences and also went over the time-allowed to collect a very expensive 17 faults. This dropped them into bronze medal spot, and left New Zealand out in front despite a single mistake from opener Jonelle Price with Faerie Dianimo. The French were already looking very comfortable after fabulous rounds from both Karim Laghouag with Entebbe and Thibaut Vallette riding Qing de Briot, but they began to look vulnerable when Mathieu Lemoine’s Bart L got tired towards the end of the track and left two fences on the floor for eight faults.

Enhanced

The Kiwis’ lead, meanwhile, was further enhanced by a great clear from Clarke Johnstone and Balmoral Sensation, while the Australians held their ground when Sam Griffiths returned on a zero score with Paulank Brockagh. Their chance of gold was gone, but they would hold onto bronze if the man who has led the individual standings throughout the competition so far, Christopher Burton, could bring Santano II home without incident.

As the final moments played out, however, the Germans loomed large on the horizon when Sandra Auffarth (Opgun Louvo), Ingrid Klimke (Bob) and Michael Jung (Sam) posted three superb clears to pile the pressure on the three teams ahead of them. The French didn’t flinch, and a foot-perfect run from their four-line rider, Astier Nicolas with Piaf de B’Neville, meant they posted a finishing score of 169.0 penalties.

It was still all to play for as legendary double Olympic gold medallist Mark Todd came in as anchorman for New Zealand, but a heart-wrenching 16 faults with Leonidas ll sent Kiwi chances crashing down. Their finishing score of 178.80 left them almost three penalty points behind the Germans and now only an Australian meltdown could keep them on the podium.

And the drama lasted to the very end. Australia’s Burton and Santano picked up eight faults to round up the Aussie finishing score to 175.30 for bronze, relegating New Zealand to fourth, 3.5 points adrift.

Record

Todd was tipped for the sixth Olympic medal of his career which would have been a New Zealand record. “That will be one of the biggest lows in my career. The whole week was a roller coaster ride. After yesterday’s cross country we were still in with a chance and then – boom – you’re out. I was hoping to go out on a high. Leonidas is such a good jumper but he got wound up when going into the arena. I thought he would settle but he got more and more rattled,” said the shattered 60-year-old Kiwi legend.

The French, however, were on a high. This is the first gold and only the second medal of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for the country that has only won two previous team titles in Eventing – a bronze in Rome in 1960 and gold at Athens in 2004.

“This is fantastic,” a clearly thrilled Astier Nicolas said afterwards. “There was a lot of pressure going into this, and really I just had to do what I could for the team. But even though there was a lot of pressure, I didn’t let it bother me. I really enjoyed my round and I am very happy. It’s just fantastic. It is an immense pleasure to be part of this team that has won gold for France. It is something we have waited for a long time, and it’s amazing!”

Individual

Jung (34) matched the record set by New Zealand’s Mark Todd at Los Angeles (USA) in 1984 and Seoul (KOR) in 1988 when making it a back-to-back double of individual Olympic Eventing golds. And, also like Todd, he rode the same horse that carried him to both team and individual glory in London (GBR) four years ago – Sam.

The defence of his London 2012 title didn’t get off to the perfect start as he had to settle for fifth place after the opening dressage phase, but a sensational cross-country run with the 16-year-old Sam Monday moved him up into second behind overnight leaders, Australia’s Christopher Burton and Santano II.

Having contributed to his country’s team silver medal winning performance with a copybook showjumping performance, Jung moved into pole position and couldn’t be toppled. And in a nail-biting finale, it was French team gold medallist Nicolas Astier who took the silver with Piaf de B’Neville, while America’s Philip Dutton and Mighty Nice moved up from fourth to take the bronze.

Man to beat

Jung came to Rio as the man to beat, with not just team and individual gold from London 2012 on his career record but also the individual world title from Kentucky (USA) in 2010 and team gold at Normandy (FRA) in 2014 along with three consecutive double-European titles. He’s long been a phenomenon, and the result further confirms his supremacy as one of the most successful athletes in the history of this super-tough sport.

Burton had already dropped to third as the individual final action began with the top 25 jumping in reverse order of merit, and two fences down cost him a podium placing, allowing Dutton to move up the order in the closing stages. The 52-year-old American made just one mistake with the aptly-named Mighty Nice to post a final score of 51.80.

Frenchman Astier Nicolas was lying in silver medal spot having helped secure team gold for his country with another fabulous another fabulous ride on his 13-year-old gelding Piaf de B’Neville. In 11th after dressage, his cross-country clear Monday sent him rocketing up to third individually, and another fault-free effort Tuesday moved him up another place in the race for the ultimate prize. An uncharacteristically wild jump at the third fence added four jumping penalties and two time faults, but even though that moved their scoreline up to 48.00 they still held the lead as Jung returned to the arena.

Cooler

But they don’t come any cooler than the man from the Black Forest and he made it look like a walk in the park as he crossed the finish line having added no penalties to his first-day total of 40.90, leaving him 7.1 penalties clear of Nicolas, the biggest winning margin in Eventing since the Barcelona 1992 Olympics when Australia’s Matt Ryan and Kibah Tic Toc won by a margin of 11.2.

“It’s the second time to win with Sam and that makes it even more special. I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Jung said. “He is so strong; on the cross-country he can run every hill, jump every fence, but in showjumping he’s very nervous and it’s hard for him to concentrate. He jumped better in the second round than in the first. Yesterday it was difficult for me in the warm-up because of the people and the noise, but today the preparation was much nicer because it was quiet and he could settle.” And he added without hesitation when asked where he goes from here: “Well, Tokyo 2020 of course, and the Europeans and maybe the world title along the way!”

The final leaderboard showed Australia’s Sam Griffiths and Christopher Burton in fourth and fifth places followed by New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone (Balmoral Sensation) and Mark Todd (Leonidas ll) in sixth and seventh while China’s Alex Hua Tian sent a ripple of excitement across China when slotting into eighth place. “I can’t believe it. I came here hoping to be in the top 20 – I never imagined this!” said the 26-year-old rider.

Quotes:

Phillip Dutton (USA) – individual bronze: “I wasn’t actually expecting medal today. I was pretty happy with fourth. But now I’m pretty ecstatic about third!”

Christopher Burton (AUS) – team bronze: “Santano is a young green horse and today he showed his greenness a little bit. But he’s been far and above our expectations of what we thought when we bought him. So we’re still very happy.”

Ingrid Klimke (GER) – team silver: “My own personal aim was to finish like I sat in dressage, because I was very pleased with the dressage and now with the jumping. Yesterday… I would lie if I said we celebrated with a few beers last night (after cross-country). But on the other hand I must say I think my horse is a hero because he did so many wonderful things. There was just this one moment that there was a mistake.”

Talking about being with other event riders: “It’s always a big hug – yesterday from the people who were disappointed. There were many of them, so we were a good group. We were saying, ‘It was bad luck today or whatever, but this was not our day.’ And others we congratulated because we saw that they did wonderful rounds. It’s just great to be together and have these special moments.”

Sam Griffiths (AUS) – team bronze: “To go clear in an Olympic stadium is always a great thrill. The team competition was so tight; I knew I needed to go clear. But, to be honest, I’m sitting on what I think is one of the best horses in the world (mare Paulank Brockagh). I just sort of have to tell her where to go and she did the rest for me! Winning medals is great because it means we can bring our sport to the wider public. Obviously winning Badminton is also fantastic, but to take a sport to a wider community is always great.”

Alex Hua Tian (CHN): “The Don (Don Geniro) was very special this week. He is only nine years old and very inexperienced. This was a great week for me, for equestrian sport and for China. The hard work starts now with raising funds for the next four years. It does not stop. I will go home and have young horses to qualify for their (young horse eventing) world championships (at Le Lion d’Angers, France). Other riders will think about Badminton or Burghley but for me it will be Tokyo.”

Astier Nicolas (FRA) – team gold and individual silver: “It’s been a long wait to bring team gold back to France and victory tastes good today. I was lucky my horse felt very good even if he was tired after the cross-country. In the first round today I knew I had to jump clear for us to win, and that’s why I was not so good in the second round – it was just bad riding! My horse (Piaf De B’Neville) has been bought by a good owner of mine who then built a syndicate for him, with family and friends, so it’s amazing to have an owner as a team-mate! We have only nice people around him and he is the horse of my life, a good friend for me and a very very nice person!”

Full results here:

https://www.rio2016.com/en/equestrian-eventing-team-jumping-final
https://www.rio2016.com/en/equestrian-standings-eq-eventing-individual

By Louise Parkes

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