Germany wins first Olymic gold medal in Hong Kong

 

With only 3.90 penalties separating Germany and Australia, the final showjumping phase of the three-day-event team competition provided a nail-biting conclusion resulting in team gold for the German squad.

 

Similarly, in the individual rankings, less than one rail separated the top seven riders, guaranteeing an exciting climax. In the final reckoning, however, 45-year-old dentist, Hinrich Romeike, an amateur rider and member of the German team, claimed a double victory despite some heart-stopping moments when his 14-year-old Holsteiner, Marius, clipped a few rails. Ironically, in Athens 2004, Hinrich placed fifth individually, while Germany finished fourth following a costly error on the showjumping course by Bettina Hoy that robbed the whole team of almost certain gold.

 

At the start of the showjumping phase, the top three places in the team competition were occupied by Germany, Australia and Great Britain and remained unchanged, although Sweden, lying sixth going in to the final round, overtook both New Zealand and Italy to claim fourth place thanks to clear rounds from Linda Algotsson and Katrin Norling.

 

For the individual medals, the top 25 riders returned to jump a different course, although two riders in strong positions had to be dropped due to the three-rider limit per nation. This affected Germany’s Frank Ostholt who was ranked 10^th, and Australia’s Shane Rose, ranked 18^th.

 

Following a number of four-fault rounds, Frenchman Didier Dhennin was the first to put pressure on the medal contenders with a faultless round riding Ismene du Temple, a 12-year-old Selle Français mare. In fact, Dhennin was so delighted with his performance that he tossed his riding crop into the air as he crossed the finish line and enjoyed a lap of honour – undoubtedly relieved that the French team’s extreme disappointments of the previous few days were finally over. 

 

Ahead of him, Britain’s Kristina Cook also jumped an impeccable round with Miners Frolic to place first provisionally. Both Clayton Fredericks (Australia) and Andreas Dibowski (Germany) then obliged with four- and eight-faults rounds respectively riding Ben Along Time and Butts Leon, moving Cook closer to the medal podium with four riders to go.

 

Riding McKinlaigh, the Irish Sport Horse gelding who won the World Breeding Federation’s leading horse title for 2006/2007, Gina Miles for the United States maintained a cool head and slipped into the lead, putting pressure on the top three riders who all needed clear rounds. Sadly for Australia’s Megan Jones and Germany’s Ingrid Klimke, four-fault rounds dropped them out of the medals, leaving the door open for last to go, Hinrich Romeike. Marius, by the thoroughbred Condrieu, a stallion well-known for also producing showjumpers, rose to the challenge, and the pair crossed the line as individual three-day-event Olympic gold medal winners for 2008, ahead of Miles and Cook in silver and bronze, respectively. 

 

A grinning Romeike said, “Actually I expected the team gold, but didn’t expect the individual gold … it just came.” Following the Athens disaster, he added; “The team gold is very precious after what happened in Athens – it means you’ve done well and can go party with your friends. Life is a roller-coaster, and you just have to go along for the ride.”

 

“My horse never makes mistakes – they are always my fault. This afternoon, in Germany, the dental surgery where I work has a huge flat-screen television and they were watching and drinking champagne while I drank water!”

 

“Being a dentist, I work all day, then around 6:00 or 6:30 I go to the stable and ride. I don’t know how I do it, I just do. It’s fun. Not like hard work at all.”

 

Cook acknowledged, “My horse went well in all three phases, and for a young horse I’m very proud of him.”

 

For Miles, “It was my goal to make the individual final. I was also hoping for a team medal, so was disappointed about that, but the whole team gave me their support.” Asked how she copied with the pressure of the final round, she said, “I jumped one jump at a time and focused on what I had to do. I knew the top 10 were close together, so didn’t let my mind wander.”

 

One unfortunate postscript to this competition was a statement issued by the FEI announcing the disqualification of former Australian international Phillip Dutton, who now competes as a U.S. citizen. A new showjumping welfare rule for the three-day event came into effect in February 2008 limiting the weight of horse boots to 500 grams. Eventing technical delegate in Hong Kong, Giuseppe Della Chiesa confirmed that the boots worn by Dutton’s horse exceeded this weight limit, which resulted in disqualification. It currently appears that they were only worn in the individual round in which Dutton finished 16^th, although Della Chiesa added that further investigations would be conducted. 

 

Full results can be found by linking directly to the equestrian pages on the Beijing 2008 website:

 

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/Schedule/EQ.shtml

 

 

 

The following announcement was distributed by the FEI today, August 27….

The FEI has received confirmation that the B samples for the four cases involving the presence of the banned substance capsaicin have all yielded positive test results, thus confirming the initial positive findings from the A samples.

This involves:

Rider                                              Horse
Bernardo Alves (BRA)                       Chupa Chup
Christian Ahlmann (GER)                   Cöster
Denis Lynch (IRL)                             Latinus
Tony Andre Hansen (NOR)                 Camiro 

The FEI would also like to communicate an additional doping/medication case at the 2008 Olympic Games concerning Courtney King (USA) and Mythilus, who tested positive for the banned substance Felbinac, considered a « medication class A » prohibited substance. Felbinac is applied topically for the relief of local pain and inflammation and belongs to a group of medicines called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Courtney King, who placed 13^th individually in the Dressage competition, was officially notified on the morning of 22 August of the positive test result and the decision for provisional suspension was upheld that evening at a preliminary hearing before one member of the FEI Tribunal.

Given that the Dressage events of the 2008 Olympic Games ended on 19 August it was decided to wait until the confirmatory B analysis prior to any public announcement of the findings. The FEI has now received confirmation of the initial finding from the analysis of the B sample.  

Next steps

Now that the B samples have confirmed all the initial findings, the process will follow the Accelerated Medication Control Procedure during & after the 2008 Olympic Games which is part of the FEI Regulations for Equestrian events at the 2008 Olympic Games (Annex G), available on FEI Olympic website.

Evidence and written submissions have been requested from each rider, and a three-member panel of the FEI Tribunal has been appointed.  Hearings will be held on 5, 6 and 7 September in Lausanne, however it is up to the Person Responsible whether or not they wish to exercise or waive their right to be heard. The panel will then, in light of all the evidence received, take a decision as to the applicable sanction if any.

An update will be provided by the FEI following the hearings (8 September) and final decisions will be announced prior to the end of the first week in October, provided the hearings can be held as scheduled. However, these deadlines are indicative timelines, and may be affected by specific circumstances as with any legal proceeding.

 

The competition results will be amended as indicated in the Tribunal’s final decision.

Nesta noite, a história do Grande Prêmio Freestyle foi reescrita quando viu Anky van Grunsven, da Holanda, tornou-se a primeira amazona a ganhar três medalhas de ouro olímpicas consecutivas no Adestramento, batendo sua adversária de longa data Isabell Werth, em pouco mais de dois pontos percentuais: 78,68% contra 76,65%, apesar de Werth ter entrado na fase final em primeiro lugar. Heike Kemmer, também para a Alemanha, terminou com a medalha de bronze, à frente do norte-americano Steffen Peters

 

Os 15 melhores cavaleiros e amazonas no Grande Prêmio Especial foram classificados para esta noite no Freestyle, que foi aberta com a princesa da Dinamarca, Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, dançando a música West Side Story, com Digby, castrado de 11 anos, criado por sua mãe, Princesa Benedikte. Contudo, a prova teve uma grande dificuldade técnica, e incluiu um estranho momento, derrubando-a do 12º para o 15º lugar, foi bem coreografada e sincronizada com o caráter leve e elegante de Digby. Fora um momento confuso durante as mudanças a dois tempos e a uma falta de cadência durante as seqüências de passage e piaffe, a reprise foi conservadora. “Ele se assuntou com o telão. Deve ter se visto. Ser a primeira é difícil. Mas eu estou muito feliz com meu desempenho, tendo em mente que é apenas a segunda vez que eu participo do Freestyle.”

 

Rock pesado foi a escolha de Andreas Helgstrand ― que se adaptou melhor a energia de Shufro do que qualquer outra – e o garanhão exibiu sua força durante uma sucessão de passagens que terminou com um piaffe – pirueta em 360º. Porém, ele também mostrou muita tensão ao longo da prova, especialmente ao passo, onde perdeu pontos valiosos, também houve algumas transições incertas. A dupla melhorou sua posição, indo de 14º a 11º com as contagens combinadas nos GPS e Freestyle. “Eu hoje estou contente com meu cavalo. Não é fácil de obter pontuação alta no começo de um Freestyle.

 

A melhor maneira de descrever a música de Ashley Holzer era sinfônica, mas não foi elogiável o desempenho de Pop Art, precisando de mais detalhes técnicos, e a coreografia também foi inexpressiva. “O cavalo no início estava um pouco lento. Ele nunca foi a uma competição assim antes. Ele é sempre um bom menino. Honestamente, ele está um pouco cansado.”

 

O sueco Jan Brink escolheu uma mistura étnica, sobretudo espanhol e grego para apresentar Briar, mas faltou cadência em seu piaffe e o passo foi carregado. Tristemente, a música não foi uma inspiração para um cavalo com a presença do velho Briar, de 17 anos, tirando as forças do garanhão nos movimentos reunidos, em que ele foi recompensado. “Eu estou muito contente com ele, está muito saudável, se sentindo em casa. É ótimo terminar uma competição como os Jogos Olímpicos desta maneira. Este é o último campeonato dele, mas ele está bem e pode se qualificar para Las Vegas (a final da Copa do Mundo de 2009). Eu o aposentarei enquanto for útil, não quando estiver enfraquecido”.

 

Entre o grupo intermediário, três cavaleiros estavam em seus primeiros Jogos Olímpicos, Courtney King (Estados Unidos), Hans Peter Minderhoud (Holanda) e Bernadette Pujals (México). Dos dois primeiros, King caiu do 8º para o 13º lugar depois de uma atuação em que faltou comprometimento e sincronismo com a música tediosa. Enquanto isso, a coreografia de Minderhoud e o caráter esfuziante de Nadine  foram bem satisfatórias, com a orquestração de músicas populares dos anos sessenta e setenta, com transições muito precisas e um passo relaxado. Entretanto, o conjunto estava um pouco atrás da canção durante algumas mudanças, acabaram com uma soberba seqüência de passagem e piaffe, terminando com uma dupla pirueta. “Hoje fomos realmente bem. Eu estou um pouco lento ao galope, mas todos os meus exercícios foram bons”.

 

Infelizmente, apesar de uma bela coreografia, faltou sincronismo com a música flamenca para Bernadette Pujals e Vincent em várias ocasiões, não acertando algumas transições. Um semicírculo de um tempo foi bem trabalhado. Houve algumas mudanças de direção agradáveis ao galope, mas de maneira geral, faltou a harmonia necessária para uma prova Freestyle e Pujals caiu do 6º para o 9º lugar. “Sempre é algo com o cavalo. Você não pode empurrá-lo. Então eu não trabalhei nos intervalos porque ele estava de mau humor e não querendo trabalhar. Eu também acho que eram meus nervos porque eu sabia que não repetiria o mesmo erro cometido em abril. Eu estava nervosa, por isso não pude fazer melhor. Eu senti que ele ia galopar e, em seguida, ele demorou, e depois, a música passou de mim e eu pensei, ‘Oh, não, o que tenho que fazer agora’? De maneira geral, estou feliz, embora se não tivesse cometido erros eu poderia ter ido mais alto. Quando eu monto com essa música, não sinto confiança no meu ritmo, por isso, fiquei procurando a música e muito agitado. Eu realmente não gosto de montar com música e a confiança está baseada na repetição para se ter sucesso”.

 

Enquanto isso, Kyra Kyrklund, da Finlândia, com seis participações olímpicas, sempre realiza apresentações divertidas no Freestyle, e esta prova não foi exceção, Max dançou do seu jeito as músicas do musical Cabaret. No entanto, o conjunto brigou com a piaffe, tornaram-se confusos no início do período de mudanças a dois tempos, e produziu balanço demais nos posteriores no fim da passagem. Mas, no geral, houve algumas boas meias passagens e piruetas e eles subiram da 10ª para a 8ª posição. “Eu monto todos os dias e compito contra mim mesmo, me sinto bem em competir nas Olimpíadas e chegar até a final”.

 

Entrando com a música de abertura “Gone With The Wind”, seguida por outra canção hollywoodiana bastante conhecida, a russa Alexandra Korelova e Balagur apresentaram uma reprise sem problemas, muito expressiva e satisfatória, com figuras vistosas, mas com baixo nível de dificuldade a dupla perdeu uma posição, caindo para a sexta posição no geral.

 

 

Em seguida, o conjunto conduzido por Isabel Werth, que se apresentou com uma bela música clássica cortada por vocais líricos. Entretanto, durante uma seqüência de piafee-pirueta, Satchmo se impressionou.  Porém, coisas que só acontecem no Grand Prix Especial, durante uma seqüência de piaffe – pirueta, Satchmo se assustou por alguns segundos, embora Werth logo tenha recuperado o controle e terminado a prova sem maiores problemas. Na realidade, depois deste começo duro, consciente da perda de pontos por desobediência, o conjunto lançou a cautela ao vento e correu riscos que foram recompensados com uma marca de 78,10% – uma média de 76,65% entre Grande Prêmio Especial e Freestyle.“Eu não posso dar uma resposta clara por que ele fez isto. Durante o primeiro piaffe no Grande Prêmio Principal ele estava com medo, e hoje começou bem, então talvez eu tenha arriscado demais com o piaffe – pirueta, mas você tem que se arriscar e tentar vencer. Meu desafio agora é lhe devolver a confiança dos últimos três anos, mas ele está muito sensível esta é minha primeira meta.”

 

A alemã Heike Kemmer teve uma apresentação difícil e também escolheu música popular para fazer Bonaparte brilhar, mas houve alguns lapsos em especial depois das transições, mas o passo foi regular e houve um bom equilíbrio e ritmo de galope,  o suficiente para chegar à medalha de bronze.

 

Competindo em sua segunda Olimpíada, o americano Steffen Peter apresentou uma prova agradável que começou com bateria e percussão, progredindo para uma música eletrônica com um toque de samba. De modo geral, a coreografia foi muito bem construída, beneficiada com um ótimo sincronismo e transições agudas, mas os 76,50% foram insuficientes para chegar ao pódio. “Eu não fiquei com o bronze, mas estive muito próximo. Ás vezes você tem sonhos e hoje senti que estava em um que não tem preço. Disciplina é a ponte entre o sonho e a realização. Eu acho que eu cumpri isso hoje. O bem-estar do cavalo sempre vem antes. Depois das Olimpíadas, eu prometi construir um paddock só para ele [Ravel].”

 

E a garota de ouro Anky van Grunsven. Com uma música forte composta pelo maestro holandes Wibi Soerjadi, especialmente para Salinero, o conjunto iniciou com uma seqüência soberba de passagem e piaffe, e embora tenham produzido movimentos decepcionantes e um passo bem caprichado, seus pontos fortes sempre geram uma grande vantagem, e quando chegou à pontuação global, era uma prova para medalha de ouro.

 

 

Questionada se estava sentindo uma maior pressão pela vitória histórica, van Grunsven respondeu dizendo: “Foi uma semana terrível com um pouco de pressão. Em Atenas, eu não tinha nada a perder então estava relaxada, mas desta vez eu senti que realmente tinha que ter a medalha. Eu não queria colocar muita pressão no Salinero durante o Grande Prêmio, mas errei e cometi erros. Hoje, eu estava mais relaxada porque sabia que Salinero podia fazer uma boa prova e eu não precisei me arriscar, com exceção da parada final… mas eu pensei em esquecer aquilo. No fim, eu acho que não fiz nada de diferente porque me senti segura. É inacreditável ganhar três vezes com dois cavalos diferentes. Eu me considero extremamente sortuda”.

 

 

Resultado completo: Prova individual Freestyle:
http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73DD/EQX001101.shtml#EQX001101

The doping scandal that overshadowed the final day of the equestrian events at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong undeniably proved that lightening can strike the same place twice!

No one has forgotten the disqualification of Ludger Beerbaum and Cian O’Connor in Athens 2004 which robbed Germany and Ireland of team and individual gold medals respectively – when both their horses tested positive to banned substances. Of course, everyone was hopefully optimistic that riders/veterinarians would have duly noted that the most state-of-the-art drug testing laboratory on the planet is on-site right here at the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Sha Tin racetrack, adjacent to the Olympic stadium. But the equestrian world was rocked once again yesterday when it was announced that four horses had tested positive to the same prohibited substance, capsaicin (a derivative of the chilli-pepper plant), for which the testing technology has apparently only been available for the past couple of years.

The horses are Chupa Chup/Bernardo Alves (Brazil), Cöster/Christian Ahlmann (Germany), Latinus/Denis Lynch (Ireland), and Camiro/Tony Andre Hansen (Norway). Assuming the result of the B-samples are also positive, Norway will be stripped of their team bronze medal, which will be awarded to fourth-placed Switzerland.

Paul Harrington, an associate member of the FEI’s Veterinary Committee, who attended a hastily convened press conference yesterday, explained that capsaicin is prohibited due to its hypersensitizing properties, and also as a ‘class A’ medication for pain relief. He also confirmed that it is only used topically (externally).

FEI Secretary General Alex McLin

Also present at the press conference, FEI Secretary General Alex McLin said that in April 2008 the FEI changed the doping rules to allow provisional suspensions of riders to take immediate effect, rather than waiting until after a competition is over. Either way, unless the FEI can take steps to categorically stamp out the use of prohibited substances, any post-competitive testing is akin to locking the stable door after the horse has bolted!

Certainly, a great many issues need to be addressed, not least the fact that the FEI undertook to test only one horse from each medal-winning team instead of all four! (Three in the case of some teams – including the team silver medalists, Canada.) Essentially, this provides a 75 percent (or 66 percent) opening per team to escape a positive drug test.

It was pointed out when we arrived in Sha Tin that the majority of teams had submitted themselves for elective drug testing prior to the opening day. But what does this prove? Absolutely nothing? All it means is that a horse was clean at the time of testing and, also, a veterinarian from the Hong Kong Jockey Club pointed out that technology doesn’t allow for blanket testing of prohibited substances.

A couple of hours after the FEI released its official statement, the Irish equestrian contingent, including Chef d’Equipe Robert Splaine, the offending rider, Denis Lynch, and team vet Damian Swaile surrendered themselves for questioning, undoubtedly in the hope of securing a degree of damage control. (Undoubtedly mindful of the death threats that shadowed Cian O’Connor for nearly two years following his doping disgrace post-Athens.) However, the consensus among the many media representatives who attended the Irish press conference which was delivered with heartfelt sincerity, especially Lynch’s emotional “I’m shattered,” response to the FEI suspension, exacerbated the verdict that they were guilty of absolute stupidity. Veterinarian Swaile entered a jar of Equiblok medication into evidence, highlighting a message on the label that contra-indicated a positive doping test! Hmmm! Is every Rolex watch you can buy in Hong Kong genuine?

In fact, Swaile also went on to say that Lynch has been using this same product on his horse’s back for many months as part of his warm-up regime, and not once has Latinus tested positive to the presence of capsaicin. The media were even invited to sample the product themselves following Swaile’s comment that “If anyone bought this product expecting it to provide pain relief or hypersensitivity, they were robbed,” and added that he had smeared it on the back of his own hand to no ill effect. One must therefore question why Lynch has been using a product that apparently serves no purpose whatsoever. Also, did the product jar brought to the press conference contain the original product?

Evidence and explanations notwithstanding, as team veterinarian it was Swaile’s responsibility to determine whether Lynch had been administering any product whatsoever, in any way shape or form, to his horse prior and during the Olympic Games. And, as a veterinary expert, he should have familiarized himself with the complete list of banned substances. However, he referred the media rather condescendingly to the FEI guidelines the he suggested were a generalization of prohibitions rather than a specific list. Once again, as a veterinary expert, is it not his within his mandate to communicate his interpretation of the guidelines to both the rider(s) and the Chef d’Equipe to ensure that no one administers a banned substance out of ignorance – which is precisely what the Irish are claiming happened in Denis Lynch’s case.

Ignorance or stupidity, the buck stops with the rider, as per the FEI’s regulations, so Lynch is guilty regardless, and is obviously finding this fact a bitter pill (hopefully not a banned medication!) difficult to swallow. He even confided that he “begged the FEI” to allow him to compete; a plea that was denied by the FEI Tribunal that upheld his suspension.

Not wishing to spotlight the Irish here – who were the only team that attempted to offer any explanation, the fact remains that four riders in total were suspended. The German Federation took immediate steps and apparently banished Christian Ahlmann from Sha Tin yesterday, so the rider was unavailable for comment, while the whereabouts of Bernardo Alves and Tony Andre Hansen (who it was later learned shares the same trainer as Cian O’Connor…!!!) remained unknown.

A precise timeline of the testing procedure was provided by the FEI as follows:

1.     Samples received by the laboratory on August 18 (Ahlmann/Cöster) and August 19 (others).

2.     Positive A result reported to FEI on August 20 (Ahlmann/Cöster) and August 21 (others).

3.     B sample analysis process to commence August 22 (Ahlmann/Cöster) and August 23 (others).

4.     B sample results to be reported within 7 days (August 30 latest). (It was indicated by FEI Secretary General Alex McLin that this result may well be announced as early as today or tomorrow for Ahlmann, and 24 hours later for the others.)

5.     A hearing to be held within the following week (by September 8).

6.     The Tribunal (per its own targets) to issue a decision no later than 28 days from hearing or last submissions, whichever occurs last (latest by first week of October).

Naturally, the results of the B sample will be eagerly awaited, although the Irish have effectively already pleaded guilty by association with an illegal product.

Of particular concern, according to FEI Vice President Sven Holmberg, is that the same prohibited substance, capsaicin, was used by all four suspended riders, deliberately or inadvertently, for either pain relief or for hypersensitizing.

Yesterday was a tragic day for our sport, highlighted by the fact that reporting on a brilliant individual showjumping final, that resulted in the first equestrian gold medal for Canada since Michel Vaillancourt in 1968, was overshadowed by another serious doping scandal. Even the approaching force 9/10 typhoon, scheduled to make a direct hit on Hong Kong later this afternoon (Friday) was temporarily forgotten, even though the horse flights were all cancelled and media warned that it may take several days to leave with the backlog of passengers at the international airport which was closed by 9:00 a.m. this morning!!!

Please be advised that although the equestrian events have been completed, this “blog” will be maintained until the outcome of the doping scandal is known, so continue referred to this site for regular updates.

Watch this spae … 

 

In a repeat of the doping situation in Athens four years ago, a shock announcement by the FEI (following hours of speculation after the news was leaked to the media!), confirmed that four horses had tested positive to the banned substance ‘capsaicin’ a derivative of the chilli pepper plant. The riders were notified and hearings with the FEI Tribunal immediately scheduled, resulting in the suspensions being upheld and the riders disqualified from the individual final. 

The four riders are Bernardo Alves/Chupa Chup (Brazil), Christian Ahlmann/Cöster (Germany), Denis Lynch/Latinus (Ireland) and Tony Andre Hansen/Camiro (Norway). Assuming the result of the B-samples are also declared positive, Norway will be stripped of their team bronze medal, which will be awarded to fourth-placed Switzerland.

According to an FEI advisory, capsaicin is classified as a doping prohibited substance due to its hypersensitizing properties, and also as a class-A medication administered for pain relief.

FEI Secretary General Alex McLin explained that in April 2008, the FEI changed the doping rules to allow provisional suspensions to take immediate effect, rather than waiting until after a competition is over.

According to the official announcement: “The FEI provisionally suspends all competitors who test positive in doping or positive medication cases at the Olympic Games in the interests of the integrity of the sport.

Christian Ahlmann was notified of his suspension yesterday (Wednesday) … A preliminary hearing was held at 10:00 this morning (Thursday, August 21) before a member of the FEI Tribunal who confirmed the suspension.

The other riders – Tony Andre Hansen, Bernardo Alves, Denis Lynch – were notified earlier today further to receipt of their positive test results this morning. All three of them were provisionally suspended.

Preliminary hearings were held with the respective National Federations in the following order: 14:00 Brazil; 15:00 Ireland; 16:00 Norway. The hearings were held before a member of the FEI Tribunal who confirmed the suspension.”

Naturally, confirmatory analysis of the B-samples will be carried out according to the accelerated procedure in place for the Olympic Games, and results for all four horses should be known within the next two days. (Fortunately, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s drug-testing laboratory at Sha Tin racetrack is blessed with state-of-the-art equipment which has facilitated the extremely quick turn-around in testing blood and urine samples.)

 

In comparison, the forecast of major typhoon ‘Nuri’ due to hit Hong Kong tomorrow morning was overshadowed, and the organizers in Sha Tin were quick to reassure everyone that the final individual showjumping round would go ahead as planned. However, Dr. Leo Jeffcott, FEI Veterinary Delegate, announced that if necessary, in the case of a passing thunderstorm, the competition may be temporarily suspended, but there was no expectation that the event would not be completed this evening as scheduled.

When asked for his reaction to the doping scandal, and also to explain why it appears to be more prevalent in showjumping than in eventing and dressage, FEI vice president Sven Holmberg said; “This is a serious blow with possible implications for equestrian sport and jumping.” Adding that four suspensions for the same substance substantially increases the cause for concern. “From the FEI viewpoint, even if the situation is extremely serious, we have been able to have a turn-around time of four days and a procedure on the legal side that is prepared for these cases.”

As a result of the various suspensions, four non-qualified riders found themselves in first round of the individual showjumping final: Alberto Michan/Chinobampo Lavita (Mexico), Lotta Schultz/Calibra (Sweden), Camila Benedicto/Bonito Z (Brazil) and Taizo Sugitani/California (Japan), and of these, Benedicto produced a faultless performance and progressed to the second round.

 

Individual Final:

The courses for the individual rounds were naturally gargantuan in both size and technicality with combinations that demanded the greatest respect and required an accurate approach and huge scope. Apart from the treble, fence 6A/B/C, virtually every fence predictably claimed a victim.

First to go, Alberto Michan said he only learned at 2:30 p.m. this afternoon that he would be competing tonight. “This was my second chance. It’s a miracle. With the water I only touched it a little, then jumped the next fence good with his front feet, then touched a rail. She jumped great. I was very lucky to be here and she made me jump everything. She’s maybe not quite the same quality as other Olympic horses here, but we did our best and enjoyed the experience.” He added that Lavita’s story is a little special as he found her four years ago during a trip to stable in Chinobampa, one hour from Mexico [City], where she’d been abandoned for a year.” Fortunately for Michan, “We just clicked.” Their 12-fault round, however, spelled the end of their 2008 Olympic campaign.

For Benedicto, competing in her first Olympics, she only knew one month go that she would be riding in the team, and only learned four hours before this final round that she would be included. “I think I didn’t feel the responsibility the same as the other riders, so I rode more relaxed.” Commenting on team morale following the suspension of fellow team mate Bernardo Alves, Benedicto said, “I haven’t spoken to him yet. But it was a big surprise for everyone and we will have to see what’s going on afterwards.”

Second Mexican, Federico Fernandez, who qualified in the original top 35 was also pleased with his nine-year-old stallion Zorro. “I’m very pleased with the horse. He behaved super, and he’s still very green and needs to learn a bit, but he did much more than what I expected of him, for sure. I think every single one of the fences in the course will be a problem.” Adding his hopes for Zorro, Fernandez said, “I hope he will be super for the World Equestrian Games and hopefully, if I can keep him going and right in his mind, the next Olympic Games in London.”

Also benefiting from the rider suspensions, Lotta Schultz was delighted with her four-fault round with Calibra, saying, “I was told that I could take part at 2:30 this afternoon when I was doing some shopping. Tears came to my eyes when I heard it. It’s my lucky day. I never thought I would be able to take part in an Olympic round and I’m more than happy. It was a fantastic round.” In fact, Schultz was the last of the four faulters to qualify for tonight’s second round of 22 riders – including 10 who jumped clear.

Former Olympic Champion (Barcelona 1992), Ludger Beerbaum commented on his four faults in the first round, saying, “I rode with more pressure than yesterday to get the width for the water, but then could not get him [All Inclusive] back in time for the combination. I had a button of my shirt caught in the horse’s mane and was in front of the horse for the second [element]. Therefore, we were out of balance and had the mistake.” Discussing the suspension of his fellow countryman Christian Ahlmann, Beerbaum added, “Time is too short for deep thoughts. We learned about the whole thing only at 14:00. Of course, I thought ‘no this can’t be true’, but then I concentrated on what was ahead for me and I thought about my task of riding this individual final course. I cannot draw any conclusions. First I need to know exactly what has happened here.”

Other well-known riders who incurred four faults in the first, round included: Rodrigo Pessoa/Rufus, Edwina Alexander/Itot du Chateau, Gerco Schröder/Monaco, and Steve Guerdat/Jalisco Solier.

Of those riders who completed fautless first rounds, Beezie Madden, silver medalist at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen said, “He [Authentic] was great tonight. He has plenty of energy. This is probably one of the best jumps. We would like to aim high. I am very confident in my horse, but it’s showjumping and difficult to predict a winner. I think this is what makes it exciting.”

Likewise, Britain’s Tim Stockdale and Corlato, who have jumped well all week. “She is a careful mare and jumped so well. I’m delighted.” Regarding the course, “It rode pretty good. It’s more on the soft side than what we expected.” And, finally, commenting on the rider suspensions; “It’s not great for our sport, and it’s a bit of a worry”

By the end of two extremely tough rounds, there were seven riders with a total of four faults: Ludger Beerbaum, Meredith Michaels Beerbaum, Rodrigo Pessoa, McLain Ward, Angelique Hoorn, Beezie Madden and Marc Houtzager.

However, with four riders to go, Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson pulled off the first double clear riding the La Silla bred Ninja, a small gelding that has the heart of a lion to compliment the elastic jump he unleashes over every fence. It left last to go, Canada’s Eric Lamaze and Hickstead to force a jump-off for the gold and silver medals, leaving the four faulters to battle it out for the bronze. Lamaze’s stallion didn’t disappoint.

The jump-off course provided a serpentine track with two switchbacks and a long gallop to the last fence, and first to go, Ludger Beerbaum/All Inclusive added four faults – thanks to an error at the penultimate fence – to their first-round score in a time of 36.16.

Shutterfly’s speed has already been demonstrated in numerous victorious jump-offs, and Michaels-Beerbaum unleashed his energy for a clear round in 35.37. “It would have been nice if I’d done that earlier, but I am happy with my horse. Shutterfly was super and I rode well. This was my first Olympics riding for Germany. Life goes on.” The pair finished fourth.

There was no doubting Rodrigo Pessoa’s intentions with Rufus, and although he jumped clear, the 10-year-old gelding lacks experience in pressure situations, and the Brazilian crossed the line in 37.04, good enough for a very creditable fifth place.

Riding for the USA, McLain Ward and Sapphire were the first combination to take a cheeky route which was a shortcut across an ornamental green swathe of turf and jumping a bush between the second and third fences. Although it made up some time, four faults at the last fence, relegated them to sixth place.

Angelique Hoorn for the Netherlands, didn’t attempt the shortcut, but motored from the starting line with O’Brien – a speed that was a little too optimistic and resulted in eight faults for ninth place.

Emulating her fellow countryman, Beezie Madden also steered Authentic over the bush and maintained a clean slate in the fastest time so far, 35.25, and was assured of the bronze medal with Marc Houtzager and Opium also dropped two rails for eighth place.

Finally, the jump-off between the two leaders saw Bengtsson go first with Ninja – a naturally fast gelding who won the 2007 World Cup qualifier at the CSI Monterrey last October. The pair produced a textbook round until the very last fence, when they took a flyer and a brick came out of the wall.

Although it gave Lamaze a small buffer, the Canadian couldn’t afford to be too cautious and risk incurring four faults in a slower time. However, Hickstead never needs much encouragement where speed is concerned and the very careful stallion launched himself around the course in brilliant style, rewarding Lamaze with Olympic gold.

“Redemption” was a word Lamaze used when asked how he felt – a small reference to the years of difficulty earlier in his career which he has managed to overcome. “You cannot come back to the sport without the support of your sponsors, friends and family. They made it impossible for me to try giving up. If this gold medal doesn’t make people forgive and stop talking about my past all the timek, I don’t know what will.”

Talking about Hickstead, Lamaze said, “I bought him as a seven-year-old from Stephen Conter in Belgium. He was not the easiest horse to teach, so we soon figured out we just had to leave him the way he is. Now he does everything from instinct and pure talent.” Continuing he said; “My horse is really careful and you can always count on him to give 100 percent effort. I have all the confidence in the worl [in him] and he makes my job very easy.”

Rolf-Goran Bengtsson was certainly not disappointed with his silver medal, describing Ninja as a very brave horse, and not so big. “He doesn’t think about jumping big fences. When I steer him at anything he will jump. He is a very sweet horse and it is always a real pleasure for me riding a horse like that.”

“I had a strong feeling all week, but I got a bit worried when the spectators shouted out at the corner of the water jump [liverpool] . I noticed that there was a little sea [pool of water] behind the jump. My mind went back to the incident in Athens when the gate [of a fence] fell down. I didn’t panic and stayed cool, and when I saw that it was taking too long to repair it, I took the horse out of the arena to remain calm, thinking that Eric was riding behind me with a super fast horse.”

Regarding his four faults at the final fence, “My horse became too strong and too forward in jumping the last brick wall, but he is a great winner today.”

For Beezie Madden, “When you saw the first round, it’s typical to have a jump-off for the medals, but when it ended with seven for the bronze that was a little too much, but it’s been a very exciting day. I think we were all expecting a bit of a long night. The second round course, in my opinion, was much bigger. I have to thank Mclain [Ward – for the shortcut]. He paved the way and told me what to do.”

Giving the final word to the 2008 Olympic Games gold medalist, Eric Lamaze, “He [Hickstead] felt good from the beginning tonight. In the second round he was feeling fresh and good. For days this has been only a dream, but now it is reality.”

 

Round 1: http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73SF/EQX002101.shtml#EQX002101

Round 2: http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73SG/EQX002102.shtml#EQX002102

Jump-off: http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73SG/EQX002103.shtml#EQX002103

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The world's best-known professional sports' photographers: Peter Llewellyn – back row, fifth from left

Follow the trials and tribulations of the Olympic Games from a photographer’s viewpoint – provided by Peter Llewellyn.

 

ALL PHOTOS ON THE ABPSL OLYMPIC BLOG SITE BY PETER LLEWELLYN – AVAILABLE FROM

WWW.HORSESOURCEPHOTOS.COM

 

Hayley Beresford (AUS) riding Relampago do Retiro

 

HIGH-RES COPIES OF ALL OLYMPIC PHOTOS BY PETER LLEWELLYN – AVAILABLE FROM

WWW.HORSESOURCEPHOTOS.COM

 

 

São tristes acontecimentos em competições que às vezes beneficiam um atleta, causando a tristeza de outro – foi o caso da amazona australiana Hayley Beresford, que montando o Cavalo Lusitano criado no Brasil, Relâmpago do Retiro, terminou na 26º posição do Grande Prêmio de Adestramento, ficando fora da zona de classificação para o Grande Prêmio Especial por apenas uma posição. Entretanto, às 14h, somente cinco horas antes do início do Grande Prêmio Especial, Beresford ouviu a notícia de que Imke Schellekens-Bartels tinha sido forçada a se retirar, devido a uma lesão sofrida por Sunrise, durante a cerimônia de premiação por equipes, duas noites atrás.

 

Bartels explicou que sentiu que algo não estava bem ao deixar a arena na quinta-feira, mas não encontrou nada errado. Então, pela manhã, a égua estava desigual nos anteriores e, como o veterinário não foi capaz de identificar o problema específico, foi decidido que Sunrise devia ser cortada.

 

Primeira a competir, Hayley Beresford teve outra oportunidade para mostrar as qualidades de Relâmpago do Retiro, que fez um grande trabalho, criação de um entusiasmado Eduardo Fisher. Andamentos tranqüilos – especialmente do passo para o piaffe e da passagem para o galope – e uma amável transição que rendeu uma pontuação de 66,320%.

 

Foi apenas o quarto Grande Prêmio Especial de Beresford, e ela explicou: “Houve pequenos erros, mas ele foi mais corajoso do que na primeira prova, as falhas foram minhas e não dele. Eu estava achando muito estranho lá fora, acho que dormi só sete ou oito horas nos últimos três dias.

 

Perguntada se Relâmpago seria melhor no Grande Prêmio ou no Grande Prêmio Especial, ela disse: “Eu acho que ele será melhor no Grande Prêmio Especial porque é um pouco mais técnico e no momento certo ele será uma verdadeira pedra de montar. Eu acredito que ele será um bom cavalo de equipe porque ele vai tão bem quanto eu monto e espero melhorar, então eu acho que ele vai melhorar também. Meu objetivo esta noite era me divertir para não assustá-lo. Experimentar pressionar um pouco mais do que no primeiro dia, não para assustá-lo porque ele é jovem e não precisa disso.”

 

Falando a respeito de sua estréia olímpica, Beresford confidenciou: “Isabel e eu discutimos muito, claro que foi cedo demais para mim, mas nós viemos para cá como um aprendizado. Acho que vou para casa como uma amazona melhor. Passamos por um processo de seleção, ganhamos a experiência de liderar até Kentucky. Nós dissemos, ‘Bem, enquanto não envergonhar nosso país’. Eu sabia que o cavalo podia fazer isso. Mas foi um pouco difícil porque Isabel está montando bem e eu não estava com meu técnico, mas tive tanto apoio que senti como se a Austrália, Alemanha e o Brasil estivessem atrás de mim”.

 

Projetando o futuro, Beresford esclareceu: “Eu vou para casa preparar meu jovem cavalo para a final de dezembro, em Nuremberg, na Alemanha, acho que vamos nos preparar para a Copa do Mundo, desde que ele (o Relâmpago) viaje de volta pra casa bem e seu corpo diga ‘ok’”.

 

Notavelmente, ainda na Austrália, aos 27 anos, foi diagnosticado um câncer de mama. Após a cirurgia e durante o tratamento de radiação, Beresford disse que permaneceu com quatro cavalos em treinamento. “Havia somente três ou quatro dias em que eu não podia montar. Nem mesmo a cirurgia foi suficiente para me afastar do cavalo”.

 

Posteriormente, no começo de 2006, Beresford visitou Isabell Werth na Alemanha, mas retornou a Austrália para organizar sua vida. Agora, ela está feliz com sua base com Werth por tempo integral, deve se casar no próximo mês e está determinada a permanecer na Alemanha embora se considere “muito australiana”. “Eu vou para casa para ministrar clínicas, mas também amo minha vida na Alemanha, sou realmente grata. Estou jovem e agora apta e saudável”.

 

A primeira metade da noite viu um número grande de cavalos cansados, com desempenhos abaixo do esperado, que alguns ginetes atribuíram ao calor, mas, mais uma vez, o tordilho Balagur, montado pela russa Alexandra Korelova protagonizou uma prova encantadora, com elegância e entusiasmo, ficando óbvio a média atribuída pelos juízes de 71,40%.

 

 

Mexico's Bernadette Pujals riding Vincent

 

Da mesma forma Vincent, que parecia relaxado sob a sela de Bernadette Pujals, produzindo belas seqüências de passagens, cheia de expressão e com boa cadência, que rendeu boas marcas. Ela voltou a perder pontos no passo, e na transição do passo para o piaffe bem na frente dos juízes caindo para baixo da marca dos 70%.  Entretanto, o conjunto ganhou alguns pontos com mudanças de pés e de mãos bem elásticas completando uma passagem final correta e um piafee bem posicionado, com a pontuação de 71,00%, um pouco abaixo de Korelova.

 

“Eu sempre quero ser a melhor e estava esperando melhores resultados. Eu cometi alguns erros, ele estava muito expressivo, e eu não poderia ter solicitado mais dele. Ele estava realmente disposto, mas eu estou começando a perder pontos devido às suas andaduras. Ele é um cavalo realmente corajoso, nunca olha em volta, sempre faz o seu trabalho e segue em frente. A prova desta noite foi melhor do que há dois anos (nos Jogos Eqüestres Mundiais), mas fiquei com um ou um e meio por cento a mais, então os juízes estão pontuando menos. “

Em um momento emocionante, Pujals explicou que sua mãe havia morrido apenas 20 dias atrás, e admitiu que a caminho de Hong Kong tinha sido duro e que, durante o ensaio, ela teve que se concentrar, mas concordou que esta tinha sido realmente participado de uma bela prova. “Ele fez o que eu pedi.”

Entretanto, surpreendentemente, o conjunto seguinte, formado pelo dinamarquês Andreas Helgstrand e o garanhão Oldenburguer de 15 anos de idade Don Schufro, veio com uma pontuação de 68,80%. “Os erros cometidos no trote alongado e nas mudanças de andamentos custaram caro, apesar do cavalo ter ido melhor hoje. Acho que é um pouco triste o fato que ele (juiz) avaliou a nota para baixo, porque o piaffe e a passagem foram muito melhores do que no Grande Prêmio, mas nós tivemos os mesmos pontos, de modo que estou desapontado com isso. Mas está bem, eu tive defeitos que foram graves, mas o cavalo continua a ter muita qualidade. Ele não foi de acordo com as minhas expectativas, pois, normalmente,  pontua na casa dos 73 ou 74. Mas é difícil aqui, com o calor, para os cavalos mais velhos e não é tão fácil de corrigir quando você faz uma prova ruim.”

A apresentação de Nadine Capellmann, da Alemanha, com Elvis, também foi marcada por erros, com 67,24%, disse: “Não tenho certeza do que aconteceu. Sei que estou procurando um novo treinador, porque nesta última semana o treinador da Isabell Werth, Wolfram Wittig, ajudou-me, mas isto foi apenas aqui e para a equipe, de modo que tenho de procurar alguém. Esta noite ele (Elvis) estava muito pesado na embocadura e no contato. Ele estava bem, no aquecimento, o melhor antes de começar, mas dentro tudo correu mal. Não era a multidão, porque ele está acostumado, e nem o calor, portanto, não foi o clima.”

Depois de uma série de provas sem incendiar o público, Steffen Peters finalmente levantou a barra, ultrapassando Korelova com 71,800 em uma prova muito correta, que teve bom fluxo de movimentos. “Ele estava muito mais acostumado com a arena, muito mais resolvido, de modo que eu não tive que empurrar ele muito, ele continuou por sua própria iniciativa, sentiu-se maravilhoso. O verdadeiro prazer e diversão de montar. Senti que foi tudo bem no trabalho de trote e na passagem, e ele esteve muito mais relaxado hoje, embora o segundo piaffe tenha sido difícil. Ele foi maravilhoso na mão, e eu não poderia estar mais feliz. Ele gastou muita energia e tem o suficiente o freestyle, de forma que estou convencido que ele está apto.”

Uma profissional incansável, a finlandesa Kyra Kyrklund, que tem sido parte do cenário do Adestramento de tantos anos, admitiu que Max estava cansado nesta noite, e isso foi refletido nos 69,72% de sua pontuação. “Foi um trabalho árduo, mas o Grande Prêmio de Macau foi tão leve, era muito estranho, eu só tinha de orientar a volta pela pista. Agora, eu tenho que fazer um pouco mais, mas havia um monte de coisas boas, por isso estou satisfeita com o que fiz, mas houve alguns erros. O primeiro erro no trote alongado foi totalmente meu – ele estava um pouco torto e eu queria ele reto com a minha perna direita e ele disse, ‘OK, é hora de galopar’. Você nunca pede mais do que aquilo que seu cavalo está oferecendo, assim, eu tentei fazer uma prova com a mais limpa expressão possível, e ele fez um bom trabalho, mas os erros eram custam muito caro. O calor estava desgastando ele.”

A apresentação de Anky van Grunsven também sofreu erros, embora ela tenha sido bastante enfática em dizer que não tinha nada a ver com o calor ou cansaço; “Tivemos um erro de comunicação e eu estou realmente desapontada porque nem sequer em treino isso aconteceu, e é só nas Olimpíadas que coisas como estas acontecem. Nos dois tempos, acho que corri muito risco, porque eu pensei, ‘OK, eu tinha perdido alguns pontos e tenho que fazê-lo melhor e, em seguida, cometi outro erro estúpido, de modo que estou desapontada com meus erros estúpidos, mas estou feliz com o resto de como se apresentou. Ele está cansado e definitivamente, não definitivamente, ele não tem nenhum problema com o clima. Neste momento, eu não estou sequer pensando no freestyle, porque eu ainda estou imaginado isso teria acontecido. Provavelmente, a pressão dos Jogos Olímpicos. Eu sei que realmente tenho uma bom freestyle e todos sabem eu não desisto, de modo que temos agora que focar a próxima prova.”

Alguns movimentos impressionantes entre os “erros estúpidos” resultaram numa pontuação de 74,96%, que só foi ultrapassada pela última amazona, a tradicional adversária de van Grunsven, Isabell Werth, que pontuou 76,417% – embora ela também tenha sofrido um momento de pânico quando Satchmo passou subitamente a recuar em meio a um piaffe; “Eu não sei o motivo para o que aconteceu, eu não tinha qualquer noção de que ele não estava indo para fazer o piaffe, mas são animais e tudo pode acontecer.”

Famosas últimas palavras!!

 

Three-time golden girl Anky van Grunsven

HIGH-RES COPIES OF ALL OLYMPIC PHOTOS BY PETER LLEWELLYN AVAILABLE FROM WWW.HORSESOURCEPHOTOS.COM

Tonight’s Grand Prix Freestyle saw history rewritten when Anky van Grunsven for the Netherlands became the first ever rider to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals for dressage, beating her long-time adversary Isobell Werth by just over two percentage points: 78.68% to 76.65%, even though Werth went into this final round in first place. Heike Kemmer, also for Germany, clinched the bronze medal ahead of the USA’s Steffen Peters.

The top 15 riders from the Grand Prix Special qualified for this evening’s Freestyle which opened with Denmark’s Princess Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein dancing through music from West Side Story with the 11-year-old gelding Digby, bred by her mother, Princess Benedikte. Although the test was a little cautious lacked strong technical difficulty, and included a spooky moment, dropping her from 12^th to 15^th place, it was well choreographed and synchronized well with Digby’s light, elegant character. Apart from a moment’s confusion in the two-time flying changes and a lack of cadence during the passage and piaffe sequences, the test was conservative. “He spooked as he got in front of the big screen. He must have seen himself. Being the first rider makes it difficult. But I’m happy with my performance, bearing in mind this is only the second time I’ve taken part in a Freestyle.”

Heavy rock music was the choice for Andreas Helgstrand – “which better suited Don Schufro’s power, than something light,” and the stallion certainly exhibited his strength during a long passage sequence which ended with a 360-degree piaffe-pirouette. However, he also showed a lot of tension throughout much of the test, especially in the walk, which lost valuable marks, and there were also some uncertain transitions. The pair improved their position, moving from 14^th to 11^th with their combined scores from the GPS and Freestyle. “I’m pleased with my horse today. It is not easy to get high marks at the beginning of a Freestyle. That’s how it is.”

The best way to describe Ashley Holzer’s music was symphonic, but it didn’t especially compliment the character of Pop Art’s performance that was lacking a high degree of technicality, and the choreography was also a little uninspiring. “The horse was a little sluggish at the beginning. He has never been to a competition like this before. He’s always a good boy. Honestly, he’s a bit tired.”

 

Anky van Grunsven riding Salinero

 

 

Sweden’s Jan Brink chose an ethnic mix of music, primarily Spanish and Greek, to which Briar performed some floating half passes, but his piaffe lacked cadence and the walk was tense. Sadly, the music wasn’t inspirational for a horse with 17-year-old Briar’s presence, but Brink drew out the stallion’s strengths in the collected paces which were well rewarded. “I’m very happy with him, he is very fresh, he is feeling at home. It’s nice to end a big competition like the Olympic Games in this way. This is his last championship, but if he is fresh and can qualify for Las Vegas (the 2009 World Cup Final), then he will take part. I will retire him when he is fresh, not when he is fading.”

Among the middle group, three riders were competing in their first Olympic Games, Courtney King (USA), Hans Peter Minderhoud (NED) and Bernadette Pujals (MEX). For the first two, King dropped from 8^th to 13^th following a performance that lacked commitment and synchronization with the dull music. Meanwhile, Minderhoud’s choreography and Nadine’s bubbly character were well suited to the orchestrated pop songs from the sixties and seventies, with very accurate transitions and a relaxed walk. Although the pair was a little behind the music for the one-time flying changes, they finished with a superb passage/piaffe sequence and ended with a double pirouette. “Today was really good. I was a bit slow with the canter, but all my exercises were good.”

Unfortunately, despite some beautiful choreography, Bernadette Pujals and Vincent lacked synchronization with the flamenco-style music on several occasions, and some of the transitions misfired. A semi-circle of one-time flying changes worked well, there were some nice changes in direction and exceptional canter work, but overall the test lacked the harmony required for a Freestyle and Pujals dropped from 6^th to 9^th place. “It’s always something with a horse. You can’t push them. Then I didn’t work in-between because he was in a bad mood and not willing to work. I think also it was my nerves because I knew I did the same mistake with the half pass in April and did it again. I was nervous about that and couldn’t do it much better. He got ahead of me in the half pass, then I felt he was going to canter, and then he got long, then the music went over me and I thought ‘oh no!’ now what do I have to do? Really, overall I’m happy, although this mistake was really big, and if I hadn’t done it I could have been really high. When I ride to this music I have the feeling that I don’t really trust my rhythm, which is why I’m looking for the music and am too hectic. Really I don’t like to ride to music and confidence is based on repetition and having success before.”

Meanwhile, six-time Olympian Kyra Kyrklund for Finland can always be relied upon to produce an entertaining Freestyle, and this test was no exception as Max danced his way through tunes from the musical, Cabaret. However, the pair struggled with piaffe, became muddled at the beginning of the two-time flying changes, and produced a little too much swing with the hind end in passage. But overall, there were some nice half passes and pirouettes and they moved up from 10^th to 8^th. “I ride every day and compete against muyself, so it feels good to come to the Olympics and get into the final competition.”

Entering to the opening music for Gone With The Wind followed by other well-known Hollywood tunes, Russia’s Alexandra Korelova produced a smooth test that was full of expression and suited Balagur’s jaunty character, but with a lower degree of technical difficulty, they lost one place and dropped to 6^th overall.

As the three groups draw for starting order, Isabell Werth followed with Satchmo and flowed to beautiful classical music punctuated with operatic vocals. However, just like in the Grand Prix Special, during a piaffe-pirouette sequence, Satchmo threw himself into rodeo mode for several seconds, although Werth soon regained control and completed the test without further histrionics. In fact, after this rocky start, and aware of losing marks for disobedience, the pair threw caution to the wind and took risks that paid off, and they were rewarded with a mark of 78.10% – a 76.65% average for the GPS and Freestyle. “I can’t give a clear answer why he did this. During the first piaffe in the Grand Prix Special he was scared, and today started good so perhaps I took too much risk with the piaffe pirouette, but you have to take risks to try and win. My challenge now is to give him back his confidence of the last three years, but he’s very sensitive, so this is my first goal.”

Germany’s Heike Kemmer had a tough act to follow, and also chose pop music which suited Bonaparte’s light paces, but there were several errors, notably before the half passes, and what appeared to be some communication issues during transitions, but the walk was regular and there was some well-balanced and rhythmic canter work that proved good enough for the bronze medal.

Competing in his second Olympic Games, American Steffen Peters produced a delightful test that began with drums and percussion, and progressed to stylized electronic music with a samba flavour. Overall, the choreography was very eye-catching and benefited from great synchronization and sharp transitions, but their 76.50% was insufficient to promote them from 4^th place to a podium position. “I did not get a bronze, but I was very, very close. Sometimes you have dreams, and today I felt like I was in a dream that I could be in charge of. Discipline is the bridge between dreams and accomplishments. I think it paid off today. The welfare of horses always comes first. After the Olympics I have promised to build a small paddock just for him [Ravel].”

And so to golden girl Anky van Grunsven. To very powerful music composed especially for Salinero by Dutch maestro Wibi Soerjadi, the pair began with a superb passage-piaffe sequence, and although they produced disappointing half passes and a rather skittish walk, their strengths always produced a huge advantage when it came to scores and overall it was a gold medal test.

Asked how much additional pressure she was feeling as she was looking at a historic victory, van Grunsven responded by saying; “It was a horrible week with a lot of pressure. In Athens I had nothing to lose so I was relaxed, but this time I felt I really had to have a medal. I didn’t want to put to much pressure on Salinero in the Grand Prix Special, but I tried more and made a mistake. Today, I was more relaxed because I know Salinero can do a good Kür, and didn’t have to take all the risks, apart from the final halt … but I thought ‘I’ll forget about that one!’ At the end, I don’t think I did anything different because I felt safe. It’s unbelievable to win three times with two different horses so I consider myself extremely lucky.”

Tomorrow, Wednesday, is the final veterinary inspection for the showjumping horses qualified for Thursday’s individual final, and no competition is scheduled.

 

Full result: Individual Dressage Freestyle

 

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73DD/EQX001101.shtml#EQX001101

 

 

Team gold for the USA after a nail-biting jump-off against Canada – both teams on 20 faults following two challenging rounds. Silver for the Canadians was even more remarkable given the fact that they were competing with only three riders this evening, following the withdrawal of Mac Cone when Olé showed signs of being sore today. It was a Mount Everest effort from Canada, and sadly they just failed to scale the summit, but there was still a great deal of rejoicing as their last Olympic showjumping medal came in 1968, four years before Ian Millar’s first appearance in Munich 1972.

But even more remarkable was a bronze medal going to Norway – and the team of Stein Endresen/Le Beau, Morten Djupvik/Casino, Geir Gulliksen/Cattani, and Jony André Hansen/Camiro. Commenting on his pathfinding round and his 12-fault score, Endresen said; “He [Le Beau] was a little tired and stumbled. He is not bad, but not good enough. He needs a good rest. I hope to get into the individual final.”

For any superstitious riders, this final course in the Olympic team competition may have appeared somewhat daunting with 13 fences! Three double combinations – 6A/B (a good one stride oxer/vertical, but with the added dimension of liverpools) and 8A/B (verticals standing at 1m55 and 1m58 ) bordering a very strategically placed water jump (4m10), once again on a curving line, at fence 7!!! The third double, oxers once again (1m50x1m60 and 1m50x1m70), just one fence from home, and a straight run to 13 – adjacent to the in gate.

 

Rodrigo Pessoa riding Rufus – Individuals also had to complete the two rounds of the team competition in order to qualify for Thursday's final

HIGH-RES COPIES OF ALL OLYMPIC PHOTOS BY PETER LLEWELLYN AVAILABLE FROM WWW.HORSESOURCEPHOTOS.COM

 

Distances were fair, perhaps more so than yesterday evening, although the distance following the triple bar at fence 2 was an extremely long five strides – but taking a check and fitting six was likely to diminish the impulsion needed for the imposing fence 3 oxer (1m50x1m60). As it happened, the course rode well and faults occurred throughout.

Once again, no one could deny the Olympic status of this course, beautifully constructed to represent the rich architectural and cultural heritage of Hong Kong/China, and also to heighten the atmosphere of this medal-deciding round. Scores are also accumulating in order to identify the top 35 riders who will progress to Thursday’s individual final – the conclusion of the 2008 Olympic Games equestrian events. (Tomorrow evening hosts the individual Grand Prix Freestyle dressage final, and Wednesday is a second rest day for the showjumping horses and also the final veterinary examination).

There were 15 individual riders making up the total of 50 – including those members of the top 9 teams (as two tied with equal faults for eighth place after the first round), and a number of disappointments.

For Mexico, Alberto Michan, Federico Fernandez and Antonio Chedraui finished with 24, 8 and 8 faults respectively, victims of the water jump among other fences, and Michan was especially upset with his round which ruled him out of the individual final. According to Chedraui, “It was very tough tonight, and for me the line to the water jump was very difficult because my horse [Don Porfirio] is not a big water jumper. I knew there was a risk so I tried my best, but not overdoing it, so I kept to my plan and did the six strides after the water and everything came out fine. I made a mistake after the wall coming into the combination because my horse moved a little bit forward, softer than I expected, but he jumped really good. He looks good and I just hope we can qualify for the final.” Both Chedraui and Fernandez finished inside the top 35 and will compete on Thursday evening.

Reigning Olympic gold medalist Rodrigo Pessoa, will be a strong defender of his title, and had the luxury of producing a relaxed round, with several fences in hand in order to make the individual final: “I would rather have the four faults today than on Thursday. The horse jumped really great and I don’t feel at all that I’m in the red, so I’ll use the next two days for him to recuperate well and prepare for Thursday. Then we start from zero. I relaxed a little coming to the last with no pressure and do a nice round without the obligation of going clear, so it was nice to use this as a kind of training round. It was a different course, everything came quite fast and you had to be vigilant. The line to the water was difficult, and then it was nice to test your brakes after the water with the double of verticals, and with one or two bigger oxers we are starting to feel the Olympic size. We’re getting there.”

Pessoa will be joined in the top 35 by Bernardo Alves who incurred eight faults this evening: “I could be more focused in the ring because we didn’t have a team, so there was no pressure for a clear round,” while Camila Benedicto finished 38^th.

There were also no qualifying problems for reigning World Champion Jos Lansink/Cumano, and Ireland’s sole individual, Denis Lynch. Lansink said, “My horse is getting better and better. So far things are working very well. It was a very difficult track, very technical and the fences are getting bigger.” Likewise, Lynch was happy with his six-fault round (4+2 time): “You cannot ride with pressure every day. I take things step by step, be positive and enjoy it. Getting to the final was my goal.”

Drawn first for the teams contesting the Olympic medals, Germany’s below par performances continued, with Marco Kutscher dropping out of individual contention with Cornet Obolensky who posted an extremely unsettled 19-fault round, including a moment when he stopped dead and reared in front of the first element of the double combination at 8A, immediately following the water. According to Kutscher, “The water problem never happened before the first round, and I can’t explain it.”

Meanwhile, Christian Ahlmann, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Ludger Beerbaum all qualify for the individual final, and the team improved their position from equal eighth to fifth place when the door was opened by other teams.

Conversely, Sweden, lying third after the first round, dropped to eighth, and Great Britain from fifth to seventh. In fact, Britain’s day began with controversy surrounding John Whitaker’s non-appearance in the first team round, due to stiffness without any apparent origin in Peppermill’s back! The British team met with the Ground Jury this morning, and they ruled in favour of allowing Whitaker to compete in the second round. However, after the other teams were informed of the Ground Jury’s decision, seven of them lodged a protest. Their protest was considered, but the Ground Jury’s earlier decision was upheld. In accordance with the rules, and following due process, the seven teams formally launched an appeal to the Appeal Committee, who decided that Whitaker would not be reinstated, according to Article 264.4 Rules for Jumping Events (Nations’ Cup). For the British team, it was a bitter pill to swallow, and Tim Stockdale vented his anger by saying; “Medals are at stake. John is so good people fear him. Some people saw this as an opportunity to get John out of the competition. I don’t think it is good sportsmanship.”

Nick Skelton added his own feelings; “The rule is stupid and pathetic. We are not cheating. It is ridiculous. Germany was the only country that didn’t object. We would not want to win the medal on a technicality anyway.” The remaining three members of the British team, Skelton, Stockdale and young Ben Maher, have all qualified for the individual final, with the latter showing the best form with Rolette, and finishing sixth after the second team round with just five faults overall. “She is one of the best horses in the world, in my opinion. I’ve had her for ayear, and I’m so lucky. I always have high expectations and can’t wait for Thursday. I know my horse improves every day.”

As the USA and Canada continued to demonstrate their strength, the battle for bronze was heating up between Norway, Switzerland and the Netherlands, although the latter soon fell by the wayside. Having completed the first round in equal first place alongside the USA, Switzerland’s campaign started badly with a 23-fault round from Christina Liebherr/No Mercy, which gave them a deficit from which they were unable to recover, and they finally finished just outside the medals in fourth place.

Norway steadily improved, and a round clear of jumping penalties, but with just one time fault, from anchorman Tony André Hansen – the baby of the group – clinched the bronze medal.

Canada soon shrugged off their disappointment in losing Mac Cone, and performed splendidly to finish with 20 faults. Anchor rider for the United States, Beezie Madden needed a clear round with Authentic for an outright win, but a foot in the water meant a jump-off against their long-time adversaries north of the border.

Riding first in the jump-off, McLain Ward/Sapphire posted a clear round in a fast time for the USA against four faults for Jill Henselwood/Special Ed. Laura Kraut/Cedric maintained the clean slate, and Eric Lamaze scored a stylishly fast clear round with the hugely talented Hickstead. With Canada being down a man, Will Simpson only had to jump clear to clinch team gold for the US – and Carlsson vom Dach obliged; “He is a very smart horse and made a very good effort, especially going through the double. He was brilliant.”

Speaking on behalf of the Norwegian team, Geir Gulliksen said; “We really didn’t believe this could happen, so it’s more than a dream – it’s like winning gold.”

Nine-time Olympian Ian Millar admitted that, “A lot of good things have happened to me, but the Olympics have ever quite gone my way. It’s remarkable and I can’t say enough about our great team, the Chef d’Equipe, our fine horses, and all the people in Canada who were behind us.” This Olympic Games has been especially bittersweet for Millar, who in March this year lost Lyn, his wife of 39 years, following a long battle with cancer.

Meanwhile, long-time US Chef d’Equipe George Morris was candid about not knowing what the future will bring in terms of continuing with his team. But, when the team was asked how they felt after winning by default in Athens (when the US were awarded team gold following a doping infraction by Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum), McLain Ward answered by saying, “We’ve lived with that for four years, and it’s time people stopped whining about it. This win is an exclamation point for the United States and has been a fantastic result for North America in general. In fact, probably the best day for North American in the history of our sport.”

 

Full results:

Showjumping team round 2:

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73SB/EQX402102.shtml#EQX402102

Showjumping team jump-off:

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73SB/EQX402103.shtml#EQX402103

Showjumping individual third qualifier:

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73SE/EQX002202.shtml#EQX002202

 

 

Rodrigo Pessoa riding Rufus

HIGH-RES COPIES OF ALL OLYMPIC PHOTOS BY PETER LLEWELLYN AVAILABLE FROM WWW.HORSESOURCEPHOTOS.COM

 

There is no doubt that course designers Leopoldo Palacios and Steve Stephens built a “doozy” of a course for the first round of the showjumping team competition – “doozy” meaning “with plenty of wow factor” in Canadian!

From the first to the last, both size and technicality featured equally – with barely a moment to breathe, so definitely requiring the utmost care and accurate approaches. In particular, fences three (1m57), four and five (1m60) demand high-precision riding, with two very skinny verticals at right angles to the water (4m20), and with extremely light top rails. Thereafter 6A/B, a triple bar (1m55x1m90) to oxer (1m50x1m55) combination is a very tight two strides, while 11A/B/C, vertical (1m55), oxer (1m50x1m60), vertical (1m55) with one stride both going in and coming out immediately precedes a short five-stride related distance to an oxer at 12 (1m55x1m80). Finally, the last fence is a vertical (1m60) over a Liverpool – not for the fainthearted!

The order of go for this first round of the team competition which concludes tomorrow, saw all the individual riders as well as teams ranked 9^th to 16^th (New Zealand, China, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Sweden, and Mexico) after Friday’s qualifying round jump first, followed by the teams currently ranked 1^st to 8^th (Australia, Netherlands, Great Britain, Norway, Switzerland, Brazil, Canada, and the USA) in reverse order.

Although there were only three clear rounds, from McLain Ward/Sapphire (USA), Eric Lamaze/Hickstead (Canada) and Rodrigo Pessoa/Rufus (Brazil), the course jumped reasonably well, and everyone agreed that it was a fair Olympic test. Sadly, there were several eliminations, with Jamal Rahimov from Azerbaijan suffering a nasty fall at the penultimate fence on the course (12). Although his horse, the Selle Français stallion Ionesco de Brekka was quickly on his feet, the 20-year-old Rahimov remained on the ground for many minutes, and was taken to hospital as a precaution, although he was later discharged and returned to the Olympic village.

The same fence also upended Brazil’s Pedro Veniss when Un Blanc de Blancs dropped his feet between the rails of the wide oxer, and although horse and rider were thankfully uninjured, it dropped Brazil out of the medal race, and the top eight teams (10^th) that will return tomorrow evening, after Bernardo Alves/Chupa Chup and Camila Benedicto/Bonito Z scored 12 and 13 faults apiece.

Rodrigo Pessoa: “The course was good. We didn’t expect anything different today difficultywise. It’s very difficult to ride a water on a curve and it’s a long time since I’ve seen that because it’s difficult to judge where you are and how much you have to push before you get to water. That was a slick trick they pulled on everybody today. But the rest was classical and straightforward. The big surprise has been the Germans, but everything is still open. Pedro’s fall had a big impact because we could have been in second place, but that’s the game, that’s the way it goes. He [Rufus] feels really good, really confident and after tomorrow’s class he has two days to rest, then we start all over again. I’m realistic, and with the two big rounds on the last day, things can go well, but they can also go not so well. I’m confident because the horse is proving to be a top-notch horse that can do it.”

In fact, for the team competition, only two rails separate the top nine teams (two sharing eighth place), with Switzerland and the United States currently sharing equal first place with 12 faults. Sweden stand alone with 13, followed by Canada and Great Britain, each with 16.

Switzerland’s Christina Libeherr said, “The poles were very light and easy to knock down. You have to concentrate on taking every corner.”

Talking about his unlucky four faults at the fence 12 oxer, nine-time Olympian Ian Millar (Canada) said; “He was jumping beautifully, but then he jumped the front rail and was coming down towards the back rail. He never did that at any other oxer, and why he did it there … I’d have to look at a video and see what happened, whether he was anticipating a left turn. These oxers are so square, sometimes a horse has a problem getting his eye on that back rail. They need a sharp eye to see all this stuff and spot every detail. But you need some luck … look at the mighty Germans! You wouldn’t expect then to be where they are.” Remarking on Mac Cone and Jill Henselwood’s 12- and 16- fault rounds, Millar added; “Mac and Jill are very hardcore riders and they won’t let this happen again. It’s not that either one of them rode badly, it’s just how it is. I promise you we’ll clean it up tomorrow night, you have my word on that.”

Somewhat surprising is Norway and the Netherlands who share sixth place with 17 faults, the latter fielding their second team after two riders – Jeroen Dubbeldam and Albert Zoer – suffered broken legs! Dutch team rider, Vincent Voorn, following in his father’s footsteps as an Olympian, on this occasion provided the discard score (16 faults) with Alpapilloon-Armanie, and admitted things didn’t go as expected. “No. Too many stupid mistakes. I didn’t relax enough on the course. I’m a little bit disappointed.”

Germany’s uncharacteristically bad form continued, beginning with an eight-fault round from Christian Ahlmann and Cöster (8), then 13 faults from Marco Kutscher and Cornet Obolensky which was the discard score. A further four and eight faults respectively from Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum/Shutterfly and Ludger Beerbaum/All Inclusive left then with 20 faults, tied for eighth place alongside Australia. Michaels-Beerbaum said, “There was some pressure, but I’m quite happy. Shutterfly jumped very well and I rode very well, but maybe a bit too fast into the triple combination. Now it’s all about not giving up and keep on fighting.” Meanwhile, her brother-in-law admitted: “You may be favourite but that does not necessarily mean you will win. We were everything else but great! We need to get accustomed to the idea that the medal [gold] is gone. I have seen long faces, but also some very unexpected broad smiles. This is just fate.”

Also missing the cut for the team competition, just behind Brazil … Mexico who finished with 26 to Brazil’s 25 faults. So near, yet so far! Alberto Michan: “The course was very different to what we jumped the first day. More technical and much higher obstacles, but I think it was okay because Leopoldo [Palacios] and Steve Stephens had to build a course the first day that didn’t break the horses, so it was a nice welcome, with a lot of clears and a lot of four faults, but today it’s tough. For sure it’s a very rideable course and I don’t think it’s crazy, but now the riders have to jump well. It’s challenging and you must focus from fence one to fence 13. The triple combination going towards the gate made the horses run on a little bit, then it was a short five strides to fence 12, so you really had to pull back. It’s actually a nice course to have faults because it doesn’t spook the horses at all.”

Michan’s team mate, Enrique Gonzalez agreed; “It’s definitely an Olympic course, very technical, difficult and you need to have a lot of control. My mare is not the best water jumper, and the line to the water is very complicated, and the planks (fence 7) after the first combinations is also giving a lot of trouble.”

According to Federico Fernandez, “I was very technical, but I think it was very fair for horses and riders, and you cannot expect less for an Olympic Games. The magic of the course is that it doesn’t favour any particular horse.  Leopoldo and Steve Stephens have done a magnificent job.”

Now riding for Hong Kong, Samantha Lam (30) was a regular visitor to Hipico La Silla in Monterrey, Mexico during her younger days when she competed in the Intercontinental Juniors and Young Riders Championship. Born in Vancouver, Canada, to Chinese parents from Hong Kong, this Olympic appearance has been a dream come true, although she unfortunately twisted her back during a team training session prior to the first individual qualifier. Since then, she’s been treated with a combination of traditional eastern medicine and western knowledge that has enabled her to jump, although she concluded the two rounds with 29 faults. “I had a lot of pain in the warm-up, and landing every big fence was like someone stabbing me in the back. I tried to ignore it as much as possible, but I know my position was off, but that’s the way it goes. It’s a beautiful course and will sure separate the top riders from the rest and I’m just proud I got around the track without any disasters. It was definitely a learning experience and an amazing feeling to have the home crowd behind us. Even after a couple of rails, it was still a very proud moment.”

The second round of the team competition to determine the medals takes place tomorrow evening, with the final two individual rounds on Thursday.

Full results: Team first round

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73SA/EQX402101.shtml#EQX402101

Individual second qualifier

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73SD/EQX002201.shtml#EQX002201