Eventing: Great Britain Bids for Five Time Olympic Glory

The defending champions from Great Britain are bidding to become the first-ever five-time Eventing team champions when the equestrian events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games spring into action in two days’ time.

The British victory in Tokyo three years ago was the crest of a wave that carried them on to complete domination at the European Championship 2021 in Avenches (SUI) a few months later where they collected team gold and the entire set of individual medals. And although things didn’t go as planned at the World Championship in Pratoni (ITA) in 2022 where the team had to settle for fourth place, 25-year-old Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir claimed the individual title.  

They were back in formidable form when taking team gold and individual gold and silver at last summer’s European Championship in France. And, completely spoiled for choice due to the calibre of their pool of contenders, they arrive in Paris with world number one Rosalind Canter riding Lordships Graffalo, Laura Collett with London 52, Tom McEwen partnering JL Dublin and Ingham and Banzai du Loir as reserves.

It’s a sparkling selection. Canter’s 12-year-old gelding claimed the coveted Badminton trophy in May 2023 before taking individual European gold three months later, Collett and her now 15-year-old gelding were on the gold medal winning team in Tokyo in 2021, posted a record winning score at Badminton in 2022 and won Luhmühlen 5* last June before becoming European team gold medallists in August.  

McEwen was also in the victorious Tokyo side three years ago with Toledo de Kerser and this time is partnered with the 13-year-old gelding JL Dublin that carried compatriot Nicola Wilson to European double-gold in 2021. The new pairing got off to a flying start last year when runners-up at 5* Lexington in April, parted company at the European Championship in August, finished third at 5* Pau in September and were second again at Lexington this year. 

Eventing Olympic Format

No matter how strong they look however the Olympic three-per-team with no drop-score format, first introduced in Tokyo three years ago, will ensure they will have to be at their very best from the outset in Paris. And they have plenty of super-tough competition.

Like Great Britain, Germany has four Olympic team gold medals in the bag and when Julia Krajewski won individual gold with Amande de B’Neville in Tokyo she was the first female athlete to do so. She is back in the side again in Paris following the late withdrawal of Sandra Auffarth’s Viamant du Matz, and joins Christoph Wahler (Carjatan S) and Michael Jung (Chipmunk FRH) as they also strive for that record first five-time team victory. 

Jung is likely to be particularly hungry for success, as the man who took double-gold in London in 2012 and team silver along with the individual title again in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 has been out of luck at more recent championships.

Krajewski’s brilliant mare, Amande de B’Neville, was retired after winning that historic individual gold in Tokyo and then carrying her to team gold and individual silver at the 2022 World Championship. Originally the team reserve, she has moved into the side with the talented 10-year-old gelding Nickel 21 with which she won the CCIO4*-S at Aachen (GER) earlier this month. Wahler and Carjatan were on both the world championship winning team in 2022 and the silver-medal-winning side at last year’s European Championship. 

Australia took team silver in Tokyo and they return with two of the same combinations in Kevin McNab with Don Quidam and Shane Rose with Virgil, while completing the side is Christopher Burton partnering Shadow Man. 

Rose’s reputation for courage and tenacity, even when the odds are stacked high against him, is second to none. He lines out in Paris with his soul-mate Virgil who he rode to tenth place individually in Tokyo having previously taken team silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

McNab and Don Quidam finished 14th individually in Tokyo while third team member, Christopher Burton, joined Rose on that bronze-medal-winning team in Rio eight years ago before transferring his allegiance to the Jumping arena in 2022. However when offered the ride on British eventer Ben Hobday’s Shadow Man in the spring of this year he turned his focus back to Eventing, and he will be lining out at his third Games.

The French

The French took team bronze in Tokyo and field two members of that side who are also former gold medallists. It’s the same line-up of riders that took bronze at last year’s European Championship but there is one change of horse, as this time 2004 team champion Nicolas Touzaint brings the 11-year-old Diabolo Menthe. 

Rio 2016 gold medallist Karim Florent Laghouag will partner his Tokyo 2020 ride Triton Fontaine, and completing the line-up will be Stephan Landois and Chaman Dumontceau who joined Touzaint and Laghouag to clinch that European bronze last summer on home ground at Haras du Pin.

There are many more strong nations also bidding for a place on the podium including the USA and New Zealand who took world championship silver and bronze respectively in 2022, and many exciting individuals too. So the stage is set for a fascinating three days of superb sport starting with Dressage on Saturday 27 July which will be followed by Cross-Country on Sunday 28 and the final Jumping phase on Monday 29.

Eventing has already stolen the spotlight at these Games. Two weeks ago Thibaut Vallette, who joined Laghouag on that gold-medal-winning team in 2016, carried the Olympic Torch through Paris in an emotional celebration on Bastille Day dressed in full uniform and flanked by other horsemen from the world-famous Cadre Noir.

It was a symbolic image and a fitting tribute to the enduring legacy of Eventing which has been embedded in the story of the Olympic programme for well over a century. 

How it will play out?

The Team and Individual competitions will run concurrently over three consecutive days from 27 to 29 July. Dressage tests will be completed on Saturday 27 July, the Cross Country test will be staged on Sunday 28 July and the final Jumping phase will take place on Monday 29 July.

The top 25 will qualify for the Individual Jumping Final which will take place after the Team Jumping Final on 29 July.
   
Horses can be substituted for the team competition, and a horse/athlete combination may be substituted by a reserve combination for medical/veterinarian reasons in any of the three tests after the start of the competition. 

Substitution will incur a penalty for the team of 20 points. One substitution per team is permitted.

The Athlete rides the same Horse throughout all three tests for the Individual classification.
   
There will be two horse inspections – on Friday 26 July, the day before the Dressage phase begins, and on 29 July before the final Jumping phase takes place.
 
A drawn starting order will be used for the Dressage and Cross-Country tests, but in the final Jumping test horse/athlete combinations will go in reverse order of merit.

Some Facts and Figures:

• 27 countries
• 16 teams
• 65 horse/athlete combinations
• 11 countries represented by individuals
• Australia, Germany, Great Britain and USA share the biggest number of team victories in Olympic Eventing history with four each.
• Australia, victors in Rome in 1960, has the unique record of winning three team titles in a row – at Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996 and on home ground in Sydney in 2000.
• Team Great Britain are the defending Olympic team champions.
• Sweden claimed a hat-trick of team gold. Their last victory was posted in Helsinki in 1952.
• Both France and The Netherlands have claimed the team title twice while Italy stood top of the team podium just once, in Tokyo in 1964 when team member Mauro Checcoli and Surbean also clinched individual gold.
• Germany holds the record for most individual Olympic Eventing titles with a total of five.
• The first German athlete to take the top step of the podium was Ludwig Stubbendorf who rode Nurmi to victory in Berlin in 1936. 
• German riders have won all of the last four Olympic individual titles – Hinrich Romeike, riding Marius, reigned supreme in Beijing in 2008, Michael Jung and Sam were untouchable for gold at both London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Julia Krajewski steered Armande de B’Neville into pole position in Tokyo three years ago.
• When the Olympic Games were last staged in Paris in 1924, The Netherlands claimed team gold and team member Adolph van der Voort van Zijp claimed the individual title with Silver-Piece.
• History was made when the USA’s Lana du Pont was the first woman to compete in an Olympic three-day-event in Tokyo in 1964.
• Julia Krajewski made history as the first-ever female athlete to claim the Olympic individual Eventing title when coming out on top at the Tokyo 2020 Games held in 2021.
• At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games a total of 23 female riders (31.51%) will compete in Eventing alongside 42 (68.49%) male athletes.
• Germany’s Michael Jung is one of three back-to-back individual Olympic Eventing champions.
• The first was The Netherlands Charles Pahud de Mortanges who rode Marcroix to victory on home ground in Amsterdam in 1928 and again in Los Angeles four years later.

Timetable View the Paris 2024 Olympic Timetable.