I put the medalists in the headline, but to find out how they got to the podium and what happened to the other riders, follow my live blog.
It’s 4:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time as the final dressage competition of the Tokyo Olympics gets under way at Baji Koen Equestrian Park. An elite group of 18 starters will be dancing to their own music for another shot at the medals.
If you didn’t want to wake before dawn to watch the freestyle, I’m covering it for you, so you can check my blog to see what’s happened when you do get up. And if you want to see the highlights, they’ll be on NBCSN at 3:45 p.m..
The USA’s Adrienne Lyle, the lowest scorer on her silver medal team but still impressive with Salvino, elected not to ride today. In a statement, she said, “This morning, Salvino did not feel quite like his usual self and last night’s historic team medal was an extraordinary accomplishment, and we are proud of the team’s incredible effort.”
Adrienne was replaced by Canada’s Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu and All In, the first starter on the roster today. The white-legged chestnut earned 72 percent for technical marks and 80.2 for artistic, with a toal of 76.404 for their routine to lovely orchestral music that reminded me of an ocean wave in its swells of sound.
Germany’s Isabell Werth, the number one-ranked dressage rider in the world with an Olympic medal record unmatched by any other equestrian, normally would be odds-on for another gold with her favorite horse, Bella Rose. But during the team competition yesterday and the Grand Prix over the weekend, she had to take a back seat to her teammate, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl with TSF Dalera, who was the high score rider of the team competition as Germany won its 14th gold. Her mark of 84.666 set a new Olympic record.
You have to figure these women will be 1-2 in either order, leaving only one place for someone else to claim an individual prize. Jessica obviously is one to watch, but never underestimate Isabell. I’m guessing she has plenty in reserve and a clever freestyle in her quest for more gold.
Another rider of great interest is three-time Olympic gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin of Great Britain. Although her mount Gio is young and inexperienced, he is not only correct in his form but brilliant. A mistake going into the one-tempis in yesterday’s Grand Prix Special meant she couldn’t break 80 percent, so the silver medal slipped away and the U.S. took it as Britain settled for bronze. But word is that Charlotte has a freestyle with a high degree of difficulty, which will help her score if she executes it as planned.
After receiving the team medal on Tuesday, Charlotte said of Gio, “This last few days, he’s literally tried his heart out. I can’t really ask much more.
The round little chestnut, only 16 hands high, is appropriately known as Pumpkin and has a hold on Charlotte’s heart.
“This might look like bronze,” she said of her team medal, “but for me, with my horse, it feels like a gold medal.”
As we handicap the individual medals, let’s not forget Sabine Schut-Kery of the U.S., a first-time Olympian with the stallion Sanceo, who clinched silver for her adopted country (she’s a native of Germany).with a personal best, marked at more than 80 percent, another first for her. Technical advisor Debbie McDonald always said she believed Sabine and Sanceo could achieve 80 percent and as usual, she was right. The two are really on a high and perhaps they’ll surprise with a medal. After all, they were third in the Special.
Another to watch is Denmark’s star, Cathrine Dufour with Bohemian. Though I don’t think she’ll get into the medals, she’ll be close.And we can’t forget the third German, Dorothee Schneider with Showtime, who earned 80.213 in the Special. Can you imagine if the Germans swept the individual medals?
The second rider to go, Nanna Skodborg Merrald of Denmark on Blue Hors Zack, had a canter half-pass to a pirouette as a highlight. She was marked at 76.3 for technical, 85.4 artistic and 80.893 overall.
The USA’s Steffen Peters offered an impressive compilation with the 18.2-hand Suppenkasper, his menu set to his familiar “We can dance” music from his 2009 World Cup Finals victory with Ravel. The floor plan included such interesting moments as a double pirouette into piaffe and half-pass passage, as well as extended trot to a half-turn in piaffe, demonstrating the horse’s ability to stretch out and instantly shorten. It was worth a score of 80.968 percent. His artistic mark was 85.8 and technical was 80.
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper.
Speaking about the U.S. team competition, Steffen said of winning the silver medal, “I’ve been competing for 45 years. That was probably the most special day of my equestrian career. Mopsie (Suppenkasper’s nickname) gave everything yesterday, every ounce of energy and every ounce of cooperation. Yesterday, he fought for our team.
“I wouldn’t say he was tired today but not as brilliant as yesterday. But it was still a clean test.and almost an 81 percent, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Rodrigo Torres of Portugal and the gray Lusitano stallion Fogoso, a name that reflects his coloring, received rousing applause from the few in the stands (spectators are barred due to Covid, but the owners, grooms, riders and other staff are watching closely).
Rodrigo Torres of Portugal and Fogoso.
His personal best score of 78.943 percent to me seemed a bit low for his routine that made much of the piaffe and passage in which this breed excels. The artistic mark of 83.743 percent far outstripped the technical total of 74.143 percent.
Spain’s Beatriz Ferrer-Salat rode Elegance, a horse with no international freestyle experience. He made an honest effort but was perhaps a bit tense. Her technical mark was 72.607, artistic 82.457, with a score of 77.532.
5:30 a.m. EDT: After six of 18 starters have gone, Great Britain’s Carl Hester on the Jazz son En Vogue leads the way with 81.818 percent. The technical score was 77.750, the artistic an impressive 85.886 percent. It was En Vogue’s first international freestyle, but he was guided by a master in his sixth Olympic Games, the man who piloted the British to the top of the international standings with his program.
Carl offered tempi changes on a bending line, including more steps than required to increase the degree of difficulty, which should have made up for missing a beat in the one-tempis. The passage zig-zag was pure brilliance, and a great way to end the confidence-building ride.
5:55 a.m.: Hans Peter Minderhoud, a stalwart of the Dutch team, rode Dream Boy to a score of 80.862 percent.
6 a.m. EDT: Sabine Schut-Kery, who clinched silver for the U.S., had her usual mind meld with Sanceo to take the lead on 84.300 percent. She was marked at 88.457 artistic for her routine to, appropriately, music from the movie “The Last Samurai.” Her technical score was 80.143.
Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo.
While some of the other horses have appeared a bit tired, understandable after competing in the Grand Prix and the Special in Tokyo’s heat and humidity, Sanceo looked unfazed by the weather as he and his rider put in a personal best.
A piaffe pirouette to passage and performing the walk in two sections was innovative. There was a little break before a pirouette, but it was nothing compared to the overall excellence of this effort.
Sabine did note that “the last time I rode the freestyle was 2018. I cannot ask for anything more, other than next time, I have to come more polished. He was really good, sometimes they have that extra little edge and maybe that was not quite there. Because I wasn’t as polished in the floor plan and having not ridden it, I think I, if anything, was not as fluid and I was in his way.”
Sabine was involved in entertainment exhibitions at shows before she started on her road to the big time in international competition, so that experience has helped her learn to present herself and her horse in the best form to her audience and the judges.
Here’s a shot of Sabine Schut-Kery as part of the exhibition at the 2007 World Cup Finals. How cool is this? And look at her now!
Of the stallion she brought from Training Level to Grand Prix, she said, “He’s there for me and I feel like we definitely do have a partnership. He’s sensitive but not overreactive. He lets me guide him and be the leader.”
6:37 a.m. EDT: Sweden’s Therese Nilshagen and Dante Weltino Old were marked at 79.721, but her teammate, Juliette Ramel on the impressive Buriel KH who followed her upped the ante with an entry that involved passage to a piaffe pirouette and a pirouette into the canter half-pass, but was not quite with her music at one point. She earned 81.182 percent, with 76.679 for technical and 85.686 for artistic.
6:45 a.m. EDT: Charlotte Fry of Great Britain wraps up the second group with the quirky stallion Everdale. He usually only shows his aggressive side in the horse inspection, but during her freestyle, he half-reared before settling into the half-pass after going around a corner. He had some impressive moments, though, including a zig-zag to a piaffe pirouette. He was scored at 80.614, with 75.714 for technical marks and 85.414 for artistic.
At this point, with the competition two-thirdsinished, the USA’s Sabine Schut-Kery still leads the way with Sanceo. She stands 52d on the world ranking list, the same number as her age.
7: 10 a.m. EDT: But that didn’t last long. Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour on Bohemian rode magnificently to the music from Les Miserables. I loved the way she blended the two tempis into the ones on the same line.She was marked at 87.507 to take the lead. Her artistic score was an awesome 93.086, with technical at 81.929.
7:20 am. EDT: And then we had Jessica von Bredow-Werndl of Germany, living up to being the leader in the first two phases her with TSF Dalera. With a light touch on the reins of her mare, her score was 91.732 percent with an incredible 97.571 percent for artistic with 85.893 for technical. Can Isabell beat that? We’ll see, but it will take some doing. And interesting to note that in 2008, when the Olympics were in Hong Kong, the winner’s score was 78 percent. How far the sport has come!
Jessica was under the utmost pressure as she rode to the music from the movie “La La Land,” noting, “At times. I felt like I was riding in and out of a fire, on the edge of a knife.
“How far can I go, how much risk can I take? But it all worked out.”
7:30 a.m. EDT: The Netherlands’ Edward Gal did all he could with his 9-year-old Totilas son, Total US. This is a horse for the future. We likely will see him at the Paris Games in 2024, when he will be more polished. His biggest mistake was a stop before the transition into passage from the canter, but just wait until he is seasoned. His score was 84.157 percent, with an artistic mark of 89.1. She got loads of 10s for harmony, choreography and music.
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera ended their freestyle one-handed on the way to gold.
7:40 a.m. EDT: Isabell came out blazing on her fighter, Bella Rose, yet she couldn’t overtake her teammate Jessica. Isabell scored 89.657 to “Ode to Joy” with a one-handed finish, like Jessica, heading toward the final halt.
She had all 10s but for one 9.5 in choreography and only two 10s for harmony; you could have fooled me. I thought she and Bella Rose were definitely on the same wavelength.
So it looks like there’s a new Olympic champion and Isabell has to settle for silver, just as she did at Rio and London in the last two Olympics.
7:50 a.m. EDT: Charlotte Dujardin, the champion from London and Rio, slotted Gio into third place with 88.543 percent and an artistic mark of 94.086. She had four 10s for music, one for music and high 9’s for difficulty, with the exception of one 9.5. She’s in bronze at the moment, with one more German, Dorothee Schneider and Showtime to come. Are we in for a German sweep?
7:55 a.m. EDT: I’m guessing no German sweep. No score yet, but too many mistakes for Dorothee and Showtime, including a big fumble in the one-tempis and a lack of energy at the end, leading to a mark of 75.607..
8 a.m. EDT: As I said, Dorothee obviously was out of the medals and dropped down to 15th.Charlotte Dujardin is bronze, the same spot she was in at the 2018 World Equestrian Games with Mount St. John Freestyle. Cathrine Dufour of Denmark takes fourth and Sabine Schut-Kery ends her first Olympics in fifth place with Sanceo, what a fabulous finish. The other American competitor, Steffen Peters, was 10th.
The medalists: Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, gold (center), Isabell Werth, silver (left) and Charlotte Dujardin, bronze.
This is the Olympics that many (but not me) doubted would happen. For many reasons–the amount of money involved for Japan and the IOC, the need to provide a venue for athletes who had worked so hard–the Games that already had been postponed for a year needed to go on.
And so far, so good. There are Covid cases, of course, but I have no information on how serious they are. I know our equestrians have been incredibly careful (and I hope they will continue to be at their celebration tonight.)
With one equestrian discipline in the history books, it’s time to turn to another. Eventing begins tomorrow with its dressage phase. Follow along with another live blog on this website.
