Mario Deslauriers, a Saint-Jean, QC, native now residing in New York, NY, and Bardolina 2 (Clarimo x Landos) earned the chance to compete for individual medals after the Jumping Individual Qualifier on Aug. 3, 2021, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.
To advance to the Jumping Individual Final, Deslauriers, 56, and the 12-year-old Holsteiner mare he co-owns with Wishing Well Farm LLC had to conquer a course designed by Spain’s Santiago Valera. It asked horses to sail over 17 jumping efforts that boasted a maximum height of 1.65 metres with the added challenge of the spotlights of the Equestrian Park playing off the bright whites and lively colours of the fences and surrounding decorations.
Deslauriers and Bardolina 2 worked hard to avoid distraction, stick to their lines and manage their pace to cross the finish line in 84.76 seconds, well within the time allowed of 89 seconds. Despite a few light rubs – including at 10, a tricky vertical coming off a rollback and 13a, a square oxer that claimed more than a few victims over the course of the evening – all the rails stayed safely in their cups.