Last night the British show jumpers celebrated after taking their first team gold medal in sixty years, but tonight the dressage riders one upped that victory by doing something no British team has ever done before: winning team gold.
The British show jumpers aren’t known for wild displays of emotion, but when Peter Charles jumped a clear round to secure the gold medal as the last rider to go in a thrilling jump-off against the Netherlands, Nick Skelton literally leaped into the air with joy.
After one round of team show jumping at the Olympic Games, the biggest news isn't who will be going forward to the medal round, but rather who won't. Heavy hitters Germany, France and Belgium were all knocked out of the running, as well as the teams from Australia, Ukraine, Chile and Mexico.
Anything can happen in show jumping, and just as it appeared that Team USA was going to post four clean rounds on the first day of Olympic competition, disaster struck for Beezie Madden.
An anticipatory hush fell over the Olympic arena when Charlotte Dujardin entered aboard Valegro. The Olympic rookie carried the weight of her team’s expectations on her shoulders, and her score would determine whether Great Britain stood in first or second after the Grand Prix test.
Carl Hester and Laura Bechtolsheimer should’ve been jubilant after the first day of dressage in front of their hometown crowd with Great Britain well into the lead.
Is there any eventer out there better than Michael Jung? Two clear show jumping rounds at the Olympic Games earned him the individual gold, making him the only event rider to ever hold the title of World Champion, Olympic Champion and European Champion all at once.
