Great Britain got off to a flying start, topping both the team and individual leaderboards after the thrilling opening Dressage phase of Eventing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Versailles (FRA) during which multiple records were smashed.
Both individual leader Britain’s Laura Collett (London 52) and second-placed Michael Jung from Germany (Chipmunk FRH) broke the Olympic Eventing record Dressage score of 19.3 set by America’s David O’Connor and Custom Made at the Sydney 2000 Games. Collett threw down a superb mark of 17.50 when 33rd to go of the 64 starters. And then German ace Jung almost matched that when posting 17.80 a couple of hours later.
Lying equal-third in the individual rankings overnight are China’s Alex Hua Tian (Jilsonne van Bareelhof) and Australia’s Christopher Burton (Shadow Man) who each put a score of 22.0 on the board, while Switzerland’s Felix Vogg (Dao de L’Ocean) is fractionally behind in fifth spot on 22.10 and in sixth is Britain’s Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo) on 23.40.
Super-tight situation
It’s a super-tight situation in the individual standings too with just 8.2 penalty points separating the top 10 individuals and just 11.6 separating the top 20 going into tomorrow’s Cross-Country phase, which is expected to be hugely influential.
And the British team total of 66.70 after Dressage is another Olympic Eventing record, overtaking the previous best of 68.6 posted by Australia at the Beijing Games in 2008.
Defending the team gold they won in Tokyo three years ago, the British tonight have a 7.4 penalty point lead over Germany in second on 74.10, while on 81.20 the Olympic hosts Team France are just ahead of fourth-placed New Zealand on 83.00.
Tom McEwen’s early leading score of 25.80 with JL Dublin put the British on the right path this morning. “Dubs (JL Dublin) was awesome – he loves an atmosphere!” said the man who helped Team GBR win their first Eventing team gold since 1972 at Tokyo with with Toledo de Kerser, and then went on to win individual silver.
“He really lit up a little bit more than I was expecting in the first trot and then he was actually super relaxed in the walk, which then caught me out for the first change….but then after that, he put it right back up where we left off, hopefully putting Great Britain in a strong starting position, which is our main goal. And now my aim is to support the girls and to finish on that score,” he said.
Sensational performance
Next up was Collett who produced a sensational performance from London 52 that would prove impossible to beat. They were also in that victorious Tokyo side and, at 15 years old, the brilliant gelding is like a fine wine, continuing to improve with age.
“I loved every second of it!” Collett said. “That horse is unbelievable – what he has done throughout my whole career. He’s amazing and he just keeps on delivering, so I’m just very, very grateful to him!”
She watched McEwen go. “He really went for it and smashed it out of the park and that gave me the motivation not to leave anything behind, to be brave and give it our best shot, and luckily I have a very willing partner,” she said.
The motivation is certainly there for all of the British contingent. “Myself and Tom were lucky enough to be on the podium (in Tokyo) with a gold medal around our necks, so we want to do it again. We’ve come here with a lot of pressure and expectations, but pressure is a privilege!”, she pointed out. Her equine partner didn’t make it a walk-in-the-park however.
“It’s been quite testing, because two days ago he was really wild in that arena and naughty, and feral, and I just had to trust that I didn’t want him to be perfect two days ago. He was very good yesterday and it would have been easy to push him in the last ten minutes today, but I saved it for the arena,” she explained. And it certainly paid off.
Wrapping it up for the British side, reigning European double-gold medallists Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo secured fifth place individually with a score of 23.40 to solidify her country’s position at the top of the team order.
Process-driven
Talking about her result she said, “I very much tried to stay process-driven today. I’m over the moon with him. We all forget that Walter (Lordships Graffalo’s stable-name) is only 12 years old, yes he won Badminton and the Europeans, but he is still a green horse. I feel like we are still only scratching the surface, particularly in a test like that, which is significantly harder than the tests we normally see.”
Her assessment for tomorrow’s Cross-Country test is “plenty to jump, plenty of places where you just have to be on your game the whole way around. The time is going to be a big factor of course and that’s where mistakes creep in. I’ve got a plan, I’m open to that plan changing – but I’m going to stay in my bubble, I’ve got a fantastic team around me and hopefully we can get the job done tomorrow.”
The British will certainly all need to keep sharp if they are to stay ahead of Team Germany who are hot on their heels. Second-placed Michael Jung, a man with an incredible record behind him, said he really likes the Cross-Country track. “Every fence is very nicely built and the gallop track is so nice. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow and the rain has been good for the ground. My feeling is that the Cross-Country will be amazing tomorrow”. It’s been a wet day at Versailles today.
Where riding tactics are concerned, he confirmed the opinion of many others – “we need to stay concentrated and to do everything 100% perfect.”
First to go
Jung’s team-mate and defending individual champion Julia Krajewski, who was first into the magnificent Versailles arena today and who will be first to go again in tomorrow’s Cross-Country test, described the course as “impressive as always, beautifully presented, everything being asked, you can’t underestimate it, the course builder has been very clever. If you ride forward and have an honest horse you will probably do well….I think it’s very clear and very fair.”
Third-placed Hua Tian joked that his “arrogant” 15-year-old Jilsonne van Bareelhof, who is better known to his friends as Chockx, had a great day today. “I think for him, he was always going to trot in there and go ‘Oh! I’ve found a venue of similar majesty to myself!’ Or it was going to go the other way and he was going to go over the top about it!” said the three-time Olympian.
“He is the most talented horse I’ve ever sat on in my life”, he continued. “He just goes extra. Last year, he was my first choice for the Asian Games but picked up a little injury the month beforehand. That would be his story. But for me this (Olympic Games) was always his goal and his target. We saved him for many years to come here, and tomorrow we unleash the beast and see what happens!”
It’s all going to kick off again at 10.30am local time as Krajewski leads the way over the track that measures 5,149 metres with a time allowed of 9.02 minutes and 28 obstacles and 41 efforts to be tackled along the way.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Eventing medals are very much hanging in the balance with plenty of changes expected at the end of what is set to be another really thrilling day.
FULL RESULTS here.
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