‘We’re all devastated’
IT was “devastation” in Rio as Britain failed to win an eventing medal at an Olympics for the first time since 1996. Four showjumping clears on Tuesday (9 August) were enough to pull the team up to fifth place from eighth overnight, but this was 76.8 penalties adrift of bronze medallists Australia, and 83.1 behind winners France.
It is also the first time since 1998 that Britain has failed to win a medal at the annual senior championship.
But there were positives to be taken as the three younger horses on the team — Ceylor LAN, Quicklook V and Billy The Biz, who are nine, 11 and 11 respectively — put in encouraging performances.
Pippa Funnell, who won Olympic team silver in Sydney 2000, and team silver and individual bronze in Athens 2004, was “really impressed” with the way Kitty King and Gemma Tattersall rode.
“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience,” she said. “We’re disappointed and the main thing is we are gutted not to deliver better for Yogi [Breisner, retiring British eventing performance manager] — he’s put so much into the teams; it’s sad we couldn’t get it in his last year.”
‘Ability in all three phases’
“OF course you can go away and think, ‘If only’ and wonder where we go from here,” Pippa added. “But anyone watching at home who really knows the sport would have to be impressed with how our younger horses went. They all showed their ability in all three phases.”
Pippa said the team was “gutted” not to have jumped a cross-country clear between them. “But when we look back on TV, I think our rounds were a lot better than some of those who went clear,” she added.
Yogi Breisner, who was at his last championship in the role he has held since 2000, agreed with Pippa.
“We came to Rio with a very exciting team,” he said. “Unfortunately things didn’t quite go to plan yesterday [8 August] but we were delighted with the way the horses jumped today, which secured us fifth place.
“Three of the horses are still relatively young and are very exciting for the future.”
Gemma Tattersall added: “We’re all devastated. We tried our best and were unbelievably hungry to win a medal but things didn’t go our way.”
Vive la France
THE French team was in third place after the cross-country. Then Mathieu Lemoine (Bart L) knocked two showjumps for eight penalties but Astier Nicolas (Piaf De B’Neville) and Thibaut Vallette (Qing Du Briot) jumped clear, which secured the gold.
“We were aiming for a medal but you never know what can happen in equestrian sport,” said Thibaut. “Astier had a lot of pressure and he handled it well, it was a fight right to the end.”
It was the first Olympic eventing medal for France since their team gold in Athens 2004.
Germany’s team silver meant they did not equal the record of winning six senior championship team golds in a row set by Britain from 1967 to 1972, but Michael Jung’s Sam FBW became only the third horse to win back-to-back Olympic eventing individual golds. He follows Marcroix, in 1928 and 1932 with the Netherlands’ Charles Pahud de Mortanges, and Mark Todd’s Charisma, in 1984 and 1988.
“It’s very special for me to win for the second time with Sam, he’s a fantastic horse and I’m absolutely happy I can ride him,” said Michael. “I’m very proud of him.”