Rio de Janeiro, BRA – The Canadian Show Jumping Team, comprised of Yann Candele of Caledon, ON, Tiffany Foster of North Vancouver, BC, Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, ON and Amy Millar of Perth, ON qualified to move on to the second and final leg of the jumping team competition at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, BRA.
Canada is currently on a score of just four faults, putting them into sixth place after round one of team competition on Aug. 16. Just one rail separates Canada from the leaders, Brazil, France, Germany, The Netherlands and the United States, who are all on a score of zero. Sweden and Switzerland follow Canada in a tie for seventh place and will round out the top eight teams invited forward to the second and final phase of team competition on Aug. 17.
All four Canadian riders have also qualified to move forward as part of the top 45 in contention for individual medals. The team final will act as the third qualifying round for individuals. From there, the top 35 riders, based on cumulative scores over the three individual rounds, will move forward to the two-part individual final on Aug. 19.
Yann Candele from Caledon, ON posted a clear round for Canada aboard First Choice 15 on Aug. 16 at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The Canadian Equestrian Team started strong on Aug. 16 with Candele, 45, posting a perfect score of zero with First Choice 15 (For Keeps x Angard), a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by The Watermark Group.
“Going first for the team, I try to build confidence for everybody else, so a clear round is super welcome and I was very pleased,” said Candele, who had just one rail in the first individual qualifier on Aug. 14 and is currently carrying four faults for his individual score. “For sure everyone will keep giving 100%, and that’s all we can ask.”
Riding Tripple X III, Tiffany Foster helped Canada secure a berth into the jumping team final at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Next in was Foster, 32, aboard Tripple X III (Namelus R x Cantango), a 14-year-old Anglo European stallion owned by Artisan Farms LLC and Torrey Pines Stable. The pair were working on a clear round heading to the final line on course, a delicate wall to a two-stride double combination. A slight rub dislodged the top block of the wall at fence 11, putting four faults on the scoreboard, and bringing Foster’s two-round individual total to eight faults.
“I thought I was clear when I went through the timers,” said Foster of the challenging track set by FEI 4* course designer, Guilherme Jorge of Brazil. “I had no idea I’d even rubbed the wall, he felt like he jumped it great. It was really unlucky because it must have been a very, very light rub. But I’m so happy with him, I thought he jumped unbelievable and he felt like he was having a good time out there. He tried his heart out and he felt absolutely amazing.”
Partnered with Heros, Amy Millar from Perth ON has qualified to move on in jumping competition as an individual and a team member at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Millar, 39, wrapped up the course with four jumping and one time fault after lowering jump 11, a 1.60m vertical, and stopping the clock at 81.52, just a hair over the time allowed of 81 seconds. She was aboard Heros (Canadian River x Clinton I), a nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by AMMO Investments. In her official Olympic debut on Aug. 14, Millar posted Canada’s first clear round, putting her individual score at five faults going forward.
“I was so happy with my horse,” said Millar, who has been supported at the Games by her father, 10-time Olympian Ian Millar. “Heros tried so hard and jumped so well. He’s only nine years old, so he’s a little bit green. Near the end of the course I was trying to slow down a little bit to let him have a minute for his mind and what happened is I got too close to that vertical, and when you get too close, it’s harder for them to jump those tall, tall verticals. It’s a little bit disappointing, but my horse is amazing, so I can’t be too disappointed.”
As for the team’s chances, Millar commented, “If we go back tomorrow and stay on four faults, we could win a medal. Tomorrow will be historically much harder and there will be lots of rails. I think other people who have three zeros today will rack up faults tomorrow and that will even the playing field a bit.”
Riding in the anchor role, 2008 Olympic Champion, Lamaze, 48, rode Fine Lady 5 (Forsyth x Drosselklang II), a 13-year-old Hanoverian mare, owned by Artisan Farms LLC and Torrey Pines Stable, to a second consecutive clear round at the Games, putting him in a tie for the lead individually.
“The message was clear for me – it was a clear round to guarantee us to be back in the top eight and to guarantee us a chance to be in play tomorrow,” said Lamaze, who is competing in his third consecutive Olympic Games. “We are four faults on the leader, one rail, and anything can happen. We like our position. Sometimes it’s better to come in as second place rather than the lead.”
The Canadian Show Jumping Team is supported at the Games by Chef d’Équipe, Mark Laskin, Team Manager, Karen Hendry-Ouellette and Team Veterinarian, Dr. Sylvie Surprenant.
The jumping team final begins at 10 a.m. BRT on Aug. 17.
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