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Paris 2024 previews: eventing ones to watch

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Great Britain win team gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Image credit: FEI/Libby Law

With less than 24 hours to go until the first horse inspection of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Team GB is bidding to be the first to win five gold medals in the discipline.

All about Team GB

The squad come into the games as favourites and defending champions. Since their gold at the delayed Tokyo 2020 games, they’ve won the 2021 European Championships as well as all three individual medals, and in 2022 Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir were crowned World Champions. Then, last summer the team took gold and individual gold and silver at the 2023 Europeans.

Two of the team of three Tokyo gold medallists – Tom McEwen and Laura Collett – are on this year’s squad, and the other two riders, Yazmin Ingham and Ros Canter, are defending and past World Champions.

It’s a sparkling selection. Ros and her 12-year-old gelding, Lordships Graffalo, claimed the coveted Badminton trophy in May 2023 before taking individual European gold three months later, Laura 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* in June 2023, before becoming European team gold medallists in August. Meanwhile, Tom 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, the previous ride of Nicola Wilson, with whom he won European double gold in 2021. The new pairing got off to a flying start last year when runners-up at 5* Lexington in April and finished third at 5* Pau in September 2023 and were second at Lexington 5* 2024.

Other contenders for the medals

No team is safe, though, with the new Olympic three-per-team with no drop-score format (first introduced in Tokyo three years ago). This system means every rider’s score in every phase must count – any mistake will be costly.

So – who else should you be watching? Like Great Britain, Germany has four Olympic team gold medals, including defending Olympic individual gold medallist, Julia Krajewski. Back on the team for Paris, her teammates are Christoph Wahler (Carjatan S) and Michael Jung (Chipmunk FRH).

While Michael Jung had an incredible run of form, starting with double gold medals at the London 2012 Olympics and continuing with team silver and individual gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, he’s been less fortunate at more recent championships. He remains one to watch, though.

Australia took team silver in Tokyo and the Paris squad includes two of the same combinations –Kevin McNab with Don Quidam and Shane Rose with Virgil – alongside Christopher Burton riding Shadow Man, who was produced by British rider Ben Hobday. Since being part of the bronze medal-winning team at Rio 2016, Dorset-based Chris Burton has focused on showjumping. However, when he was offered the ride on Shadow Man in spring 2024, it was too good an opportunity to pass up, and Paris will be his third Olympic Games.

Don’t underestimate the home team

The French won bronze in Tokyo and hope to improve on that result in Paris. The squad remains unchanged from the one that came third at the 2023 European Championships, bar one change of horse for Nicolas Touzaint, who rides 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.

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.

Find the schedule and how to watch the action here.

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