Tuesday, 06 August 2024
There was an air of eager anticipation as the crowds descended on Versailles for the finale of the equestrian programme at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Course designers Santiago Varela (ESP) and Gregory Bodo (FRA) have really excelled for the jumping competitions, receiving wide acclaim from all quarters, and today was no exception. They produced a course befitting the occasion – winning a medal today would be no easy task. Fifteen fences with 19 jumping efforts, five of which stood the maximum 1.60m, and each one with a story to tell in their ornate and original decoration.
For Team GB, the day didn’t off to the best start as news spread that Harry Charles had taken the tough decision to withdraw Ann Thompson and his own Romeo 88 from the final, due to a small overreach injury picked up during their brilliant performance in yesterday’s qualifying round.
“Unfortunately, me and Romeo will not start the individual final today in Paris,” explained Harry in a social media post this morning. “After a small overreach yesterday, he is not quite the 110% that he has been the whole Games, so we are not taking any risks.
“Maybe I’m a little disappointed but, honestly, not really! He has given me so much and took me beyond my dreams. We’re leaving Paris with a gold medal and, more importantly, a happy Romeo, so that’s way more than enough for me!
“Team GB have a great shot at the medals with two of the best today in Scott and Ben, so we will be on the sidelines cheering them on. Thank you to everyone for all the support you’ve given me and Romeo throughout the Games and making it an experience of a lifetime!”
A fence down from Ben Maher and Dallas Vegas Batilly, who he owns with Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright, in yesterday’s qualifying round gave them an early start time in the running order and, crucially, not much opportunity to watch how the course was jumping. However, Ben is highly experienced in high-pressure jumping environments and looked a picture of composure as he warmed up the 11-year-old mare behind the scenes – all the while taking the odd second to glance at the big screen to watch how the action was unfurling.
They cantered into the arena to a wave of support from the fans who’d packed the grandstands to capacity, and set off with purpose. Today’s objective for this round was to jump clear and if, that wasn’t possible, to keep moving on for a fast four faults. They successfully navigated the first four in their customary style but, at five – a one-stride double with an upright in and wide spread out – things went awry. They jumped in well, but ‘Tilly’s’ almost cat-like leap meant she left herself with just a little too much distance to make up before the second part, causing an unlucky rub on the back bar. It was now down to Ben to limit the score to four, but up the pace to see if he could finish as one of the faster rounds to keep them up the placings.
The duo proceeded to jump a beautiful round in 81.70 seconds, which didn’t deserve a four in the faults column. Ben would have to watch the class unfold to see if it was enough to keep his medal hopes alive.
“We wanted to come here to try and win, but there are such small margins and my horse jumped incredibly. It just wasn't meant to be today. It’s big, it's the Olympic final, the best horses in the world are here, so we know what to expect coming into today. It’s a good course and very fair to the horses. It has a little bit of everything.”
When asked about the fence they had down, Ben explained; It's quite a big board just on that jump as you jump in, going right towards the screen in the corner and my horse just stalled a little bit off the floor, unexpectedly. It was a little late, I couldn't really react a lot quicker than I did. But she held it together, she jumped great.
“We can all say she didn't deserve that, but we misjudged that back rail and that's how our sport, unfortunately. We had a good week and we leave with a gold medal,” he concluded.
Hopes were high for the rider from Peebles in Scotland because, riding Lady Pauline Harris and Lady Pauline Kirkham’s Jefferson, Scott Brash has impressed this week. Team stalwarts, often giving their all to secure glory for those around them, today felt like it could be their turn for individual honours. Jefferson has been in peak form this week and has relished his Olympic chance, having had his efforts cut short in Tokyo with a minor injury mid-way through the competition.
The duo completed their preparations well and Scott had a look of steely confidence. They were called into the chute to head to the main arena and cantered into the main arena to a wall of sound from the crowd. The pair were off to a great start, with the plucky bay giving his all over the first few. They cantered to the double at fence five, where Ben had faulted, along with quite a few others, and jumped in well but again, as Tilly did, Jefferson backed off and just couldn’t make the spread out – it was almost a carbon copy of Ben and Tilly.
Scott carefully managed the remainder of round to stay clear and used Jefferson’s natural speed to stop the clock on 81.29 – slightly quicker than Ben.
“I'm obviously a little bit disappointed because it’s a lifelong goal to try to win an individual medal,” said Scott. “But I'm absolutely delighted with Jefferson. He's been absolutely amazing all week and again today. It’s one mistake, but I just think that double jumped really badly. It was quite shadowy – I can't blame him for it. I thought we jumped in well, I think he just took a little look at it. Quite a lot of horses have done the same thing. It's one of those things. The rest of the course he was foot-perfect. So, yeah, I’m delighted with him and delighted with our week.
“It's always the competitor in you. When you first come out, you're disappointed. You're obviously going to go and analyse it and things, but actually, when you really reflect on the week we've had, it's been an absolutely incredible week.
“We've got an amazing team, and I thought we really worked well together all week. Of course, it's been amazing. We've just had an incredible week, so we need to enjoy these moments, because you don't get too many of them in your lifetime,” he concluded.
A journalist commented on the strong contribution equestrian makes to Team GB Games after Games, to which Scott replied; “I love watching all the other sports and it's incredible, but I do feel like our sport is really unique and it's a real amazing sport to be a part of. You've got a 64-year-old guy here jumping in top shape, jumping against probably a 20-year-old, and women and men compete on the same basis and equally can win a gold medal. It's a really unique sport in that sense and, with an animal, everything can happen, which I think you've seen today. So, it's an incredible sport and I'm extremely proud that Team GB is bringing home a gold medal for the showjumping.”
And so it was a wait to see what the others did. At the point where Scott and Jefferson did their round, there were just two clears, but then there came a third, forcing a three-way jump off to determine the podium. It meant Scott would finish sixth and Ben ninth – two Brits in the top nine, with Grea Britain the only nation to achieve this.
In battle for medals, the three clears belonged to Christian Kukuk (GER), Maikel van der Vlueten (NED) and Steve Guerdat (SUI), and they jumped off in that order. Christian set the benchmark with the stylish grey Checker 47 in 38.34 seconds. Next up was Maikel with Beauville Z, who rehearsed some very tight lines as he waited for the bell. He used those to great effect, but couldn’t leave all the fences standing and finished on four faults in 39.12.
Last to go were the current European champions, Steve Guerdat and Dynamix de Belheme. They began well, but then missed their spot early on to give an awkward jump, but it stayed up. They kicked on, but their luck ran out at 12B and it was a fence down but in a quicker time – 38.38 seconds – enough to clinch silver. The gold belonged to Christian Kukuk, meaning Germany take the individual titles across all three disciplines.
Today’s exciting jump off brings the curtain down on the equestrian action at the iconic venue of Versailles – the on-site team has just 36 hours to transform the venue so it’s ready to play host to the modern pentathlon, which starts on Thursday. Team GB has matched their Tokyo medal tally of five – two golds and three bronzes – and, with all three discipline teams winning a medal, all the athletes return home with a medal to show for their heroic efforts.
Of course, the athletes stand proud on the podium, but there’s a full team behind them who help to make it happen. Our equine athletes have all performed amazingly – thanks must go to their generous owners, who support the sports, and the grooms, who tirelessly dedicate their lives to the care of the horses. The team of medical, veterinary and support staff and practitioners who work behind the scenes – both at the Games and alongside the riders’ home teams – are also key in the success. We’re also grateful for the support of The National Lottery and those who play, via UK Sport, and our loyal suppliers and partners.
Full results can be found on Olympic.org and read our ‘how to watch’ guide to see how you cans see the action on catch up.