The new rules on substitutions for the three-member squads in Tokyo could have a big effect on the placings as team show jumping gets under way tomorrow.
As planned, McLain Ward has been moved onto the U.S. show jumping team in Tokyo with Contagious, while Kent Farrington and Gazelle now will become the reserve combination. They can be switched into the mix if necessary without penalty prior to Saturday’s team final, where the top 10 squads culled from a qualifier starting list of 19 nations will be competing.
The new three-member team/no drop score format for these Games has made things more complicated and required a different approach in terms of planning than previous Olympics.
“There’s been incredible team spirit internally,” said U.S. coach Robert Ridland.
“All the decisions have been made jointly and McLain coming in fresh for the team has always been the plan. Fortunately, all the horses are sound, and the riders are feeling great, and we can do exactly what we were planning on doing.
“That’s our strategy, and our expectations, of course, are to live another day and move on to the final on Saturday and we all feel prepared and well-positioned to do that.”
The U.S. show jumping team: Jessie Springsteen, Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut and McLain Ward. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
The U.S. did not qualify an entry for Wednesday’s individual finals, which means the horses will have the advantage of two days of rest before the team qualifier.
But Great Britain, one of the countries favored to take a team medal, will be moving forward without a key player. Scott Brash, who tied for seventh in the individual competition with one time penalty, has dropped out of the competition after his horse, Jefferson, suffered a strain in Wednesday’s class..
That puts Harry Charles–who retired during the individual final after having rails with Romeo 88–back in the mix with individual gold medalist Ben Maher on Explosion W (ranked as the best horse/rider combination in the world) and Holly Smith on Denver. She did not ride in the individual competition.
When a swelling was discovered on one of Jefferson’s front legs following the individual final, Scott said, “After discussing with two top class vets, competing him again this week could result in a more serious injury so their advice is he has to rest allowing him to recover as quickly as possible.”
British Equestrian Team Leader Richard Waygood commented; “In consultation with Scott, his valued owners and our team vet, we’ve decided it’s in the horse’s best interests to withdraw from the competition as a preventative measure to avoid a more serious injury. While disappointing for Scott and his connections, the team is still a strong proposition ahead of Friday’s team competition.”
Ben and Scott were members of Britain’s historic London 2012 gold medal team with Harry’s father, Peter Charles, who is on hand in Tokyo to help his son during Harry’s Olympic debut.
Britain is the only country to medal in all three disciplines at the Games so far (team gold and individual silver in eventing, team and individual bronze in dressage, individual gold in show jumping) though Germany could match that if it reaches the podium on Saturday.
The Irish team, as previously announced, will be without a reserve as Cian O’Connor and Kilkenny are not going forward.
Kilkenny experienced a nosebleed during his round in the individual final, where he was tied for seventh with Jefferson on one time penalty. While nosebleeds are not cause for elimination, unlike blood in the mouth, Cian elected not to go forward in the horse’s best interests. Kilkenny was treated by the veterinary team and deemed to be fine. Shane Sweetnam replaces Cian on the squad.
Meanwhile, Cinca 3, the mount of New Zealand’s Daniel Meech, was eliminated in the Individual Jumping Final. Blood was found on the left flank of the horse in the post-competition check. That finding is mandatory elimination under FEI rules. Such an elimination does not imply there was any intent to injure the horse. The New Zealand Equestrian Federation lodged a protest to contest the elimination, which was heard by the Ground Jury and dismissed.
Meech had three knockdowns and two time penalties to place 25th before being eliminated. He will be able to ride with New Zealand in the team competition, however.
Other significant changes among key contenders include Belgium’s Peter Devos subbing for Niels Bruynseels; Yuri Mansur has been replaced by Pedro Veniss on the Brazilian squad; Beat Maendli is replaced by Bryan Balsiger for Switzerland; Germany has Maurice Tebbel coming in for Christian Kukuk Tebbel comes in and France drops Mathieu Billot for Simon Delestre.