Britain finally won their first gold medal of the Paris Olympics. Though in many ways we should not be surprised that it was delivered by the eventing team, a trio two-thirds of whom had lifted the bullion in Tokyo too. It is the second time the British have won back-to-back Olympic competition in team eventing (the first was in 1968 and 1972). This, clearly, is a sport that knows how to deliver.
And for the three riders basking in the golden glow of victory, it was a result that spoke volumes. Coming at the end of a traumatic week for equestrianism, in which the very future of the sport was placed in doubt by the bullying antics of one of its leading practitioners, here at last was good news. Across three days of gruelling competition, at times undertaken in torrential rain, at others in blistering sunshine, Britain’s team produced a performance that was as close to being flawless as it comes in a sport fraught with jeopardy.
“Hopefully this answers all that,” said Laura Collett, the rider who produced the final winning round in the show jumping section, of the all-enveloping noise around riding. “It’s huge. Seeing our horses go in there, look a million dollars and perform like they have all week, hopefully that shows what goes on. Horses don’t go like that if they’re not happy.”
All this took place in a setting fit for glory. In the middle of the Palace of Versailles’ glorious park, an arena has been constructed. Like Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium, it has but three sides. But unlike the Kassam, the view across the gap where the fourth stand might be is not of a car park and bowling alley. It is of the verdant acreage of the park, with the Palace there in the background, its golden roof glistening in the sun.
Down in the arena, various obstacles designed to resemble Parisian landmarks, had been laid out to challenge the riders. Here is how it worked. After the previous two days of competition, in the dressage and cross-country disciplines, competitors had collected points for both the individual and team medals. Like golf, the idea is to score as low as possible by accruing as few errors. And the GB team came into the final day with all three of their riders so well placed that overall it was already in the gold medal position.
It would have been even further ahead had Ros Canter not been penalised for what experts will tell you was the most dubious of errors in the cross-country section, when she knocked a flag atop one of the fences with her knee. The GB Team had appealed, pointing out the horse had crossed the obstacle without fault. But the appeal was dismissed. And the trio who might have been well in front entered the final round with the French team breathing down the necks of their riding coats.
“It wasn’t the position we would have liked,” said Collet. “But we grouped together as a team. At least we knew we were still in there in the gold medal position. Yes we would have wanted more in hand. But it turns out we didn’t need it.”
She was right there. While there were riders from all round the world leaping across fences, this came down to a shoot-out between the French and the British. And there was no doubt who the vast majority of the huge crowd filling the steepling temporary stands were behind. When French riders came out the place exploded with noise.
But here’s the lovely thing about equestrian sport: such is the respect of the crowd, that every single rider, even the British ones, was allowed to conduct their round in absolute silence. When Collett came out for the final round atop her horse London 52, just as the final French rider Stephane Landois was milking the applause, there was no attempt from the home support to make her falter, no gamesmanship, no underhand behaviour at all.
“Oh my God all these people, the noise was just unreal, there was no comparison” said Collett, remembering the silence that had greeted her in Tokyo’s empty stands the last time she won gold alongside Tom McEwen, who also in the team here.
“Luckily it didn’t distract him at all,” she said of her horse. “He’s true professional I think he knew what was at stake and I wouldn’t have wanted to be sat on anyone else.”
Collett’s performance was magnificent. Given she had been close to death a decade ago, after an accident left her in an induced coma and with limited vision in one eye, her poise and control was remarkable. Knowing she could knock over as many as four obstacles and still secure gold for her country, she instead gave a perfect round, transgressing only with a minor time penalty. It was magnificent. It was perfectly done. And she added individual bronze.
Britain had come first, France second and to quote Barry Davies who cares who came third (actually it was Japan, the first nation outside equestrianism’s big six to win a medal in more than 10 Olympic cycles).
More to the point, for a sport driven into a corner by the practice of one of its own, it was a significant rebuttal.
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