"We are a team of good friends" - the French gold medal winning team (L-R) Karim Laghouag, Mathieu Lemoine, Astier Nicolas, Thibaut Vallette
In the past few years it has become clear that one of the strengths of German eventing is not only the way they ride but the way they function as a team. They have Michael Jung and Ingrid Klimke as anchors, both amazingly talented in the saddle but also bedrocks of sense and integrity, and you only have to watch the way they react on a podium, turning in synch to the crowd and ensuring they wave to all sides of the stadium to know that they know, as a team, how to behave as champions. Success breeds success and self-confidence will see you through the toughest times; the German team has that in spades so it was no surprise when they bounced back on show jumping day to claim the team silver medal with four clear jumping rounds
What was a little surprising was that the French showed the same team spirit, despite the fact that they are a team that has not been together very long and that it was the first Olympic experience for all four. But it was certainly their spirit of camaraderie and self-belief, along with good horses and great riding of course, that helped them become the Rio 2016 Olympic champions
Karim Laghouag and Entebbe
Heading into the final day in bronze medal winning position the French team were super consistent with fabulous rounds from both Karim Laghouag on Entebbe with just one time fault, and Thibaut Vallette clear on Qing de Briot, but they began to look vulnerable when Mathieu Lemoine’s Bart L got tired towards the end of the track and left two fences on the floor for eight faults. However another faultless round from Astier Nicolas with Piaf de B’Neville, meant they posted a finishing score of 169.0 penalties to take the team gold medal – France’s first since gold in Athens in 2004
“It’s been a very long wait” said Astier “Even though we weren’t part of the team in Athens, we have been waiting a long time to put the French flag back on top. We know the guys who were on the team in Athens and we’ve been impatient to do the same thing – it’s such a great relief. We are a team of good friends and the victory has a particularly good taste today”
Thibaut Vallette and Mathieu Lemoine celebrate Astier's round
Thibaut Vallette, who won the European individual and team bronze at Blair Castle last year, also agreed that the team vibe helped their quest “We know each other very well and we are all good friends and I think that is very helpful in a setting like this. We started working together as a team at the European Championships - Astier wasn’t able to be with us there but the rest of us competed there - but since then the four of us have been working very closely together towards Rio. The selectors and coach gave us an intense preparation at Granville in France where we spent 20 days at a camp before coming here and all of that has been rewarded today”
Mathieu Lemoine was in a very strong position after the dressage in third place but his main concern was the success of the team. When asked if he felt that he sacrificed a possible podium finish individually on cross country day he too responded that it was all about the team
“The dressage was a good phase for me but I wasn’t really focussed on an individual medal – it was always about the team. To have been competitive in the individual competition I would have needed to make the time on cross country which would have meant taking all the direct routes and that really wasn’t possible for my horse. Taking the first long option on cross country was a joint decision with the coach but the second option was something that I just decided at the last moment when I was on course because it was the best thing for my horse”
Astier Nicolas and Piaf De B'Neville
However they always believed that there was always the potential for an individual medal for Astier Nicolas, the CCI4* winner at Pau last year. 11th after the dressage, Astier’s clear cross-country round sent him rocketing up to third individually, and the clear first show jumping round moved him up another place. In the second round a heart stopping moment at the third fence when Piaf De B’Neville paddled across the back rails of the oxer added four jumping penalties and two time faults but Astier held the silver medal to go with his team gold.
Stuart Tinney and Pluto Mio
The Australians too showed that the team spirit helps win medals. There was disappointment no doubt after their first rider Stuart Tinney and Pluto Mio kicked out four fences and also went over the time-allowed to collect a very expensive 17 faults. Suddenly they dropped from pole position after a fabulous cross country performance to the bronze medal spot but Sam Griffiths’ clear round on Paulank Brockagh revived flagging hopes and the pressure was on Chris Burton’s young Santano II.
Just before Chris the double Olympic gold medallist Mark Todd had jumped for New Zealand, resulting in a heart-wrenching 16 faults with Leonidas ll which sent Kiwi chances crashing down. Although Chris and Santano II picked up eight penalties, the Australians claimed bronze, partly thanks to the Kiwi knight’s bad luck with a very fresh horse that was full of himself
“I’m just really disappointed for the rest of the team; not just the riders but also the girls who look after the horses and the support crew around us. It was down to me to deliver but it didn’t happen” admitted Mark (below)
Ironically Leonidas II came back and jumped clear in the second round, leaving him shaking his head “If only he’d done that the first round!”
Despite his team bronze medal Chris Burton too was wrestling with disappointment as he prepared to jump the second round “The truth is I am disappointed - not with my horse, he has surpassed all expectations – and I just spoke to Sam (Griffiths) about it. He said, come on, let’s go sit down, have a cold drink, re-hydrate and re-focus because we have to jump again”
Another two fences down cost Chris a podium placing as he finished in fifth place and Sam Griffiths completed the event as the best of the Australian riders, just missing out on a bronze medal individually to Phillip Dutton by 1.3 penalties. But Sam was not dwelling on what might have been
Sam Griffiths and Palank Brockagh
“It’s been an up and down day for us but it’s been an exciting day for the sport” said Sam “The first thing I’m going to do is give my horse a really big pat! She is the star, I nearly had a tear in my eye as I came out because she tried so hard for me”
“The Aussies will all get together after the medal ceremony, we’re a close group and we’ll have a bit of a party”
The Kiwis too were planning a drink or two, if only to drown their sorrows! Jonelle Price had not enjoyed the Olympic Games she was hoping for, finishing in 17th place after eight faults in both jumping rounds, and admitted to a ‘little sulk’ after the first round
“She typically is a good jumper so it’s a bit disappointing to have two down – I was busy sulking but then I heard that the Aussie had a few down and, although I don’t want to be a bad competitor, that made me feel slightly better!” she laughed “I couldn’t watch Mark’s show jumping round. I jigged on the spot, turned circles, walked up and down – I thought that the writing was on the wall, the fairy tale was nearly there, it was going to be magic and it would have been nice if we could have sealed the deal”
Jonelle Price and Faerie Dianimo
Clarke Johnstone too was wondering ‘what if...’ when he collected eight penalties in the second round. Clarke and Balmoral Sensation have only ever had one rail in international competition together so it was not surprising that Clarke was hoping to continue the trend, especially after jumping clear in the first round
“Sixth is pretty awesome but a bronze medal would have been better!” said Clarke, who indeed would have been the bronze medal winner without the eight penalties “But what we’re all hurting about is the team medal – that’s the one we really wanted. But it just wasn’t to be and we’re all a bit deflated at the moment”
Hopefully Clarke’s holiday, a bit of a busman’s holiday as he is staying at the Olympic Games to watch some of the other sports, will cheer him up before he heads back to New Zealand
But at the end of the day, it was the amazing Michael Jung who was back on top of the podium having added no penalties to his first-day total of 40.90. He completed the event 7.1 penalties clear of Astier Nicolas, the biggest winning margin in eventing since the Barcelona 1992 Olympics when Australia’s Matt Ryan and Kibah Tic Toc won by a margin of 11.2.
The back-to-back victory also came on the same horse that he rode at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Sam FBW equalling Mark Todd’s Olympic record however Mark was one the first to congratulate him
“We keep saying he is beatable and he was. He got beaten in the dressage but he just never makes a mistake after that. He thoroughly deserves it”
Michael Jung and Sam FBW
