The Olympic ball gets rolling with first team announcement

by | Jun 3, 2024 | On the rail

If you watched the 4-star at the Kentucky Three-Day Event in April, you saw the U.S. eventing team for this summer’s Paris Games, which was named Monday.

Will Coleman and 4-star third-place Off the Record, the more experienced of his two horses, was selected, while his 4-star winner, the newcomer Diabolo, is a direct reserve.

Will Coleman and Off the Record. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)

Boyd Martin — a member of every U.S. Olympic and world championships team since 2010 — and Federman B, fourth at Kentucky, also got the nod. Boyd’s second-place Kentucky mount, Commando 3, is his direct reserve. Fourth-place HSH Blake and Pan Am Games individual gold medalist Caroline Pamukcu are also on the squad. She does not have a direct reserve.

The traveling reserve, the only one of the top group to have run in the Defender Kentucky 5-star, is Liz Halliday. She will back up the three-member team. Her mount, Cooley Nutcracker, placed eighth at the Kentucky Horse Park. The first alternate is Sydney Elliott with QC Diamantaire.

Missing from the line-up is Tamie Smith’s ride, Mai Baum, last year’s Kentucky 5-star winner, who skipped this year’s 5-star due to injury. The horse was withdrawn from consideration for the Games, as Tamie explained on social media.

“This was a difficult decision because we have felt Mai Baum would have contributed positively to the Team had he been selected. Since his setback leading into Kentucky, there is not adequate time remaining for preparation and conditioning for him to be in top form for the team mandatory outing in a few short weeks,” Tamie said.
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“We are obviously disappointed, but always have his best interest at heart and will be looking to aim him for an exciting fall competition.
We will be cheering for Team USA, not in Paris, but at another special venue, Rebecca Farm.”

Chef d’equipe Bobby Costello said, “This was a very thorough selection process and after speaking with each of our team members named to this Olympic team, I can say there is a palpable sense of optimism and determination as we enter these final six weeks of meticulous preparation heading into Paris. We have firm but realistic expectations together as a team to continue pushing the needle forward for this program.”

Alternates in alphabetical order are James Alliston (Karma), Jennie Brannigan (FE Lifestyle), Will Faudree (Mama’s Magic Way), as well as Liz Halliday with Miks Master C and Shanroe Cooley. James, Jennie and Liz will be on the team for Aachen next month with Alyssa Phillips.

The Olympic team will have a mandatory outing June 21-23 at the Stable View Summer Horse Trials in Aiken, S.C. before going to Europe to train for the Games.