L-R: Rosalind Canter (GBR), Tom McEwen (GBR), and Laura Collett (GBR) © FEI/Benjamin Clark
In glorious Versailles sunshine, in front a packed stadium of wildly enthusiastic spectators, the British team of Rosalind Canter (Lordships Graffalo), Tom McEwen (JL Dublin), and Laura Collett (London 52) clinched team gold, while Germany’s Michael Jung (Chipmunk FRH) took the individual Eventing title at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The French hosts had to settle for silver ahead of Japan, who held their nerve after having to call up their reserve combination following the final Horse Inspection.
This was a record-breaking fifth team gold for Britain, while Germany’s Jung also set a new record when becoming the first three-time individual champion. This was his country’s sixth individual Eventing title.
As the final day of Eventing dawned, the British were holding the lead they maintained in the Cross-Country phase, when France moved into silver medal spot and Japan rocketed up to bronze. However, two of the Japanese team horses were sent to the holding box at the final Horse Inspection, and when Ryuzo Kitajima did not bring Cekatinka back for re-inspection, the reserve partnership of Toshiyuki Tanaka and Jefferson were called up.
This resulted in the addition of 20 penalties to Japan’s scoreline for substitution, dropping them to fifth behind Belgium in fourth and Switzerland in bronze medal spot as the Jumping action began.
But the Japanese never lost sight of their goal. They sent Tanaka and Jefferson in first – they returned with just 1.6 time penalties over the 13-fence course created by Spain’s Santiago Varela and Gregory Bodo from France. When Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne returned with a clean sheet, and Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street collected just 0.4 time penalties, there were just two penalties to add to their team scoreline. This would see them overtake the Belgians and Swiss at the end of the day with a final tally of 115.80.
Meanwhile, single errors from Karim Florent Laghouag with Triton Fontaine and Stephane Landois with Chaman Dumontceau had to be added to the eight collected by Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo Menthe, so the French piled on 16.40 for a finishing score of 103.60.
The British began with a single mistake from Rosalind Canter and Lordships Graffalo at the oxer at fence six, but Tom McEwen and JL Dublin had a flawless run. When Laura Collett and London 52 dropped only the final fence, this proved influential throughout the round – the result was underpinned. On a score of 91.30, they had gold in their grasp once again.
McEwen was thrilled with the performance of the 13-year-old JL Dublin. Like Collett, he was a member of the gold-medal-winning team in Tokyo three years ago but with another horse.
“Toledo was probably one of the best horses in the world at showjumping in Eventing, so to come out on a day like this with Dubs – he was sensational, class from start to finish; he jumped his socks off! I knew it from the warm-up and following the French (Karim Florent Laghouag) and the noise – I just knew he thought it was all for him! I just had to navigate and steer to help him get the clear,” said McEwen.
He described the course as “really clever, a great Olympic course, although longer than I expected.”
The French also had that gold in their sights, but Laghouag was satisfied with silver. “We were afraid we were not going to get a medal in our own country so there was a lot of pressure. We are super pleased to have at least silver,” he said.
For Japan, it was a huge day as they took their first-ever Olympic Eventing medal when standing on the third step of the team podium. They never lost faith, even when things didn’t seem to be going their way. “It was a tricky morning and really sad for Ryuzo, but it sometimes happens, and I believe we still have a chance to get a medal,” said Tomoto after jumping his clear round. They stood firm and in the end their proficiency in the Jumping arena pulled them back into contention.
Such was the strength of the Japanese side that both Tomoto and Oiwa made it easily into the top-25 final round of Jumping to decide the individual medals.
The nine-fence, second-round track saw horses still fresh and full of running, and many jumped clean and clear once again. Going in order of merit, Oiwa was fifth-last to go and picked up 4.4 faults. Then it was down to the final four who were separated by less than a fence.
McEwen and JL Dublin produced yet another spectacular round, and when Collett did likewise, she was already guaranteed a medal. Australia’s Chris Burton was sensational from the outset with Shadow Man, joint-third after Dressage and adding just 0.4 to his score in the first Jumping round, so when he too went clear second time out, he already had silver in the bag and now it was up to Jung to hold on to pole position.
The German star had faltered at the first element of the penultimate double on the first course, and he couldn’t afford another mistake. “I was just a bit too much on the inside line to the last combination. I was too close, and he jumped perfect in front, but didn’t get wide enough for the oxer, so I need to ride better the second round!” he said afterwards. And that he did, giving one of those exhibitions of classic horsemanship that has made him a legend of the sport for quite some time.
“I tried to stay really focused and concentrated during the whole week and not thinking to the ceremony or the third gold medal,” said Jung.
He obviously was feeling the pressure in his quest for that historic third individual Olympic title and could hardly believe he had done it.
“I tried to say to myself, it’s just a normal show. I try to push my horse not too much, to give him the feeling it’s a normal show, although it’s not so easy with so many spectators. In the end I needed to look at the board to see that it’s really true (that he won gold again), and now I need a moment to realise what it means. It’s a very special moment for me,” he said.
For Australia’s Burton, who announced that he will be returning to his home country to set up a yard and run his own business, it was a really proud day. He only picked up the ride on his silver-medal-winning horse Shadow Man four months ago after more than two years away from the sport to concentrate on Jumping.
Looking across at Jung and Collett, he pointed out, “These guys have a special relationship with their horses, but mine is unique because we only got to know each other in March, so that’s incredible. We’ve really only done a few events together. We had to do a 3* because I’d been away too long from the sport, then we did a 4* short, another 4* short, a 4* long, and we were qualified. Then the selectors wanted to see me do better, so I went to one show in Ireland, at Millstreet, and then we came to the Olympic Games which is crazy – I can’t believe it! And the horse goes back (to his owners) I think after this.
“It would be my dream to keep riding him; he’s just the most delightful animal. From the minute I sat on him, I thought he was incredible, like we were made for each other, but I think anyone that sat on him would have the same experience, I’m afraid; it would break your heart! But what a story we had and what a great time we had in Paris,” said Burton.
Reflecting on picking up team gold and individual bronze on the same day, Collett said, “I never thought this day would come. I was very lucky when I did Ponies, Juniors, and Young Riders and each year won an individual medal, and then I went into Seniors and realised it was an awful lot more difficult! Things haven’t gone to plan really in any of my Senior appearances. In Tokyo, I thought I should have and could have won an individual medal, but things didn’t go to plan, but I’ve luckily learned from my mistakes. We had a very strict plan coming here so that we wouldn’t make the same mistakes as Tokyo and the plan paid off. I’m just so lucky to have been given a second chance.
“Not many people get to go to one Olympic Games, and I was lucky enough to go to two – so I’m very relieved that I managed to pull it off!” she said.