With the team qualifiers, the Olympic Games also got underway today in the show jumping arena. The best result among the competing Holsteiners was achieved by the association stallion Zuccero HV by Zirocco Blue-Caretino (Hanno Köhncke, Badendorf), line 4539, and Rolf-Göran Bengtsson with a clear round.
As the second pair to start for the team – and, following Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward, also the second clear-round pair for Sweden – things initially looked very promising for the Land of the Three Crowns. However, Peder Fredricson on Catch me not S had, amongst other things, a pass-by, meaning the Swedish team finished the qualifier in eighth place. The top ten teams have qualified for the team final on Friday, 2 August, at 2.00 pm.
“I have to say that we were all a bit surprised that the course was so difficult on the very first day. Zuccero has never jumped a course like this before. He really showed his quality here. He managed it with ease and perhaps jumped better than ever before,” said Rolf-Göran to the Swedish Equestrian Federation (Svenska Ridsport Förbundet) after his ride.
Among the teams that managed this feat are the Belgians, who finished fourth. This team includes Quel Homme de Hus by Quidam de Revel-Candillo (Dr Andreas Kosicki, Berlin), line 4847. The stallion and Jérôme Guéry had one knockdown, but the faults from the qualifier will not carry over into tomorrow’s team final.
Uricas v/d Kattevennen by Uriko-Cassini I (Otto Boje Schoof, Hedwigenkoog), line 1916, and Harrie Smolders will also have the chance tomorrow to make up for their unfortunate start, which saw them knock down two fences: The Netherlands team has qualified in fifth place.
Following the team final on Friday (3 August), the individual qualifying round will take place on Monday (5 August) and the individual final on Tuesday (6 August).
You can find the full results here:
