After the U.S. team failed to medal in eventing at the Tokyo Games, there was a lot of soul-searching and discussion about what went wrong.
Get ready for more discussion; no U.S. show jumper will be in tomorrow’s final for the individual medals.
So much is different about this Olympics and that includes the format for the jumpers. The individual jumping comes first, before the team, and today’s class was the only way to qualify for the individual, instead of building throughout the Games so there was more than one chance to make the cut.
All three Americans–Olympic first-timer Jessie Springsteen on Don Juan van de Donkohoeve, Kent Farrington aboard the very accomplished Gazelle and Laura Kraut with her new ride, Baloutinue–had a rail at 13 A, the first part of a double that was part of the next-to-last obstacle on the course. Laura also had a rail at the final fence, which came after the double.
The errors meant none of them made the top 30 list culled from a starting field of 73.
“That didn’t go as planned,” Kent said in a masterpiece of understatement.
Kent Farrington and Gazelle. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Equestrian)
“A harsh reality of our sport is one rail down and you’re out. The new format here being that this is the qualifier for the individual final, which is tomorrow, so it’s kind of all or nothing. Unfortunately for the American team right now, it’s nothing. So a tough night for the Americans.”
Of the back rail at the oxer that Gazelle toppled, Kent said, “I think it was just a cheap fault. Any horse can have a rail down. Unfortunately, it was the wrong day to have one down. It was a costly night. I think we just had bad luck, that’s the reality.”
In the past Olympics, where scores were cumulative, there was an opportunity to correct the situation. With this format, “if something goes wrong in the first round, it’s finished,” he said.
He’s not second-guessing the situation, though.
“I try to compete under what guidelines they give us. Under different circumstances, maybe it would work to our advantage. Tonight it didn’t,” said Kent.
“I’m not blaming the format. We just needed a better performance.
Laura said her plan worked until 13A..
“He had sort of an uncharacteristic touch of a back pole, I haven’t ridden him that long, but he almost never does that. I’d say I lost maybe a bit of concentration or focus to the last but just didn’t fight as much as I should have. He barely touched that.”
Laura Kraut and Baloutinue. (Photo courtesy U.S Equestrian)
“I’m not disappointed in him at all, probably just disappointed in the score,” she said.
And then there’s the way things were set up for qualification purposes.
“The majority, if not all, the riders were against this format. I don’t have sour grapes, because we all have to do it,” Laura pointed out.
“A lot will come at the end of this as to whether it was a good idea or not. I do have to say I would have appreciated when you had two and three scores that accumulated to get you in the top 30, and not just sort of a one-and-done type day.”
Jessie said she was looking forward to the rest of the week with her “super brave” horse.
“He’s so talented, he does everything so easy. He really gives me a lot of confidence when he’s going in the ring. It’s not only my first Olympics, but also my first championship. You definitely feel a little bit more jitters going in.”
