Team GB win eventing team gold, but it’s not over yet…

Oliver Townend (GBR) & Ballaghmor Class crossing the finishing line of the Tokyo 2020 cross-country phase © BEF / Jon Stroud Media

The Tokyo 2020 British eventing team rewrites history with a gold medal, but the individual final is yet to come

After three phenomenal cross-country rides for the Team GB athletes, each combination coming home clear and within the time, the horses flew through the trot-up looking super-energised, ready for today’s (Monday 2 August) showjumping phase.

The showjumping phase is split into two sections – to determine team and individual medals. The team section was first to go, with 12 nations in contention for the medals and the top 25 combinations also going forward to the individual final. Great Britain came into the competition on a score of 78.3 after the cross-country, with Australia behind on 96.2. This meant that even if the British combinations had four fences down, they were still going to hold onto the gold medal position. But as the showjumping started, the poles were dropping like flies and the time limit was proving tight – it was set to be an interesting spectacle.

Here we go…

Tom McEwen and Toledo De Kerser were the first British combination to go. It was a tense start as only a few combinations had jumped clear and inside the time. But Tom, as cool and composed as ever, kept his eyes on the fences and rode in a beautiful rhythm throughout. They sailed over every fence with room to spare and produced an immaculate clear, inside the time. It was a textbook performance and enough to see him finish in provisional third place going into the individual competition.

Laura Collett and London 52 looked on top form as they entered the ring, but they had a slight disagreement coming into a meaty oxer and London 52 couldn’t quite get his legs clear of the poles. But in her true professional style, Laura brought it back together and jumped the rest of the course clear, meaning that despite her four penalties, she’ll still be in contention for an individual medal, ultimately finishing fifth ahead of her final individual round.

As Oliver Townend and his experienced horse, Ballaghmor Class, started their round they still had four fences in hand after Australian rider Shane Rose knocked an unfortunate pole. Team GB was in such a strong position against Australia in silver, that something would have to go drastically wrong in Oliver’s round for GB to forfeit their gold medal. It was a nail-biting round, Ballaghmor Class rubbed the last pole of the treble, luckily keeping it up only to be caught out further along at the double. Oliver kept his cool as he finished his round in style with only one pole down – and sitting in provisional individual silver medal position.

Disrupting Oliver’s lead was German rider Julia Krajewski and Amande De B’Neville. Though the German team wasn’t in the battle for the team podium, Julia was fighting to keep her position in the individual medals and jumped an awesome clear that was set to disturb the possibility of British top-three going into the individual rounds. Going into the individual competition, she’ll be last to go as she sits to provisionally receive the gold medal

One for the history books

Team GB has done it! Not only have the riders secured a team gold, which was the first for Britain in nearly 50 years, they also finished on a score of 86.3 –the best team score in Olympic history! Incredible.

But the drama doesn’t end there. The four faults Oliver picked up in his round mean that he’s no longer the leader of the individual section. Julia Krajewski of Germany has pinched the top spot, with Oliver in second and Tom McEwen in third going into the final individual round. It’s all still to play for as we wait for the next session to begin…

FINAL TEAM RESULTS

Gold – Great Britain 86.3

Silver – Australia 100.2

Bronze – France 101.5