Main image: Bridget Murphy and Penmain Promise scored 66.724% for seventh place in the Individual Competition. They have been named for the Team Competition and are also qualified for Saturday’s Freestyle. Image: KimC.nu by Ateni AB.
Riding the Grand Prix B tests, three athlete/horse combinations from 16 nations will compete for team honours in the Team Competition on Friday.
Nations competing in the team event are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, USA.
The grades are competing in the following order:
Grade IV (9.30am CEST/5.30pm AEST) – View the draw
Grade V (11.10am CEST/7.10pm AEST) – View the draw
Grade I (12.52pm CEST/8.52pm AEST) – View the draw
Grade II (2.50pm CEST/10.50pm AEST) – View the draw
Grade III (4.03pm CEST/12.03am Saturday AEST) – View the draw
Lisa Martin and Vilaggio scored 70.436% for fifth place in the Individual Competition. They have been named for the Team Competition and are also qualified for Saturday’s Freestyle. Image by KimC.nu by Ateni AB.
Australian team
Australia has selected Lisa Martin and Vilaggio (Grade V), Stella Barton and Lord Larmarque (Grade I), and Bridget Murphy with Penmain Promise (Grade II).
Australia’s three athletes will ride at the following times:
Lisa Martin and Vilaggio (Grade V): 11.55am CEST, 7.55pm AEST
Stella Barton and Lord Larmarque (Grade I): 2.31pm CEST, 10.31pm AEST
Bridget Murphy with Penmain Promise (Grade II): 3.17pm CEST, 11.17pm AEST
View the draws and start times here.
“So very honoured to have been chosen as one of the three riders who will represent Australia in the team event tomorrow,” said Bridget Murphy, who will be the fourth of seven riders to compete in the Grade II with Penmain Promise (Triple Trees Prince Perfect x Mariana Lodge Yvonne, by Acheron Hot Chocolate).
Stella Barton and Lord Larmarque (Locksley II x Veroska, by Veritas AA) will be the final of 12 riders to compete in the Grade I, while Lisa Martin and Vilaggio (by Vilancio out of Davinia, by Blue Hors Don Romantic) are sixth of eight riders in the Grade V.
Stella Barton and Lord Larmarque scored 70.833% for eighth place in the Individual Competition. They have been named for the Team Competition and are also qualified for Saturday’s Freestyle. Image by KimC.nu by Ateni AB.
Can Great Britain do it again?
Great Britain have taken the team gold in all seven previous Games since Para Equestrian joined the Paralympic programme at Atlanta in 1996. But their winning margin at Tokyo 2020 was only 0.656, scoring 229.905 overall with the Netherlands on 229.249.
The Dutch have enjoyed a strong opening two days in the Individual events at Paris 2024, with Rixt van der Horst taking silver on Royal Fonq in Grade III on Tuesday, while Wednesday had a distinctly orange glow as Demi Haerkens – on her Paralympic debut – won Grade IV gold with Daula and Sanne Voets took silver on Demantur.
The United States have done even better with golds for Rebecca Hart on Floratina in Grade III and Fiona Howard on Diamond Dunes in Grade II, plus silver for Roxanne Trunnell on Fan Tastico H in Grade I.
Great Britain, who have topped the Para Dressage medal count at all seven previous editions, have had to settle for three Individual bronzes so far in Versailles – Natasha Baker on Dawn Chorus in Grade III, Georgia Wilson with Sakura in Grade II and Sophie Wells on LJT Egebjerggards Samoa in Grade V.
“In Tokyo it was very close with GB and now, USA is going to be a tough cookie as well,” said Netherlands team coach Joyce van Rooijen-Heuitink.
“The good thing about the team competition is that we don’t have a scratch result, which I like. It’s like the 4x100m relay in athletics – you can’t make a mistake. Everyone has to perform in the best possible way. If one has an off-day, we cannot compensate.”
“That’s what makes it so exciting, because we don’t know. Maybe France is going to win gold. Or Singapore. Or Italy – they have a few riders who can get over 75 or 76 as well. So if one of my riders has an off-day, or USA or GB, anything can happen.”
Nevertheless, Van Rooijen-Heuitink has been heartened by the performance of her four “girls” – as she calls them – including 65-year-old Annemarieke Nobel, in her first Paralympic Games, finishing fourth on Doo Schufro in Grade I.
“I’ve seen very harmonious rides from all my riders,” she said. “I’m very proud of the quality of the riding. I know we have good horses and good riders, but under pressure, to still perform in the most harmonious way, that is what touches me and what I’m so proud of.”
Van Rooijen-Heuitink believes her athletes will embrace the particular pressure of the team event with the right mindset.
“I have riders who can keep their focus,” she added. “You can send them out in the field and say, ‘go out and play’. Of course, everyone feels the pressure of having to perform, whether it is for the nation, or not being able to make a mistake.
“No-one rides in there thinking it is just another day at the office. That wouldn’t be good, because then you don’t ride to win. If you want to win, you’ve got to perform and you’ve got to take some risks.”
Source: FEI press release, by Bryn Palmer
