Sweden’s Patrik Kittel and Well Done De La Roche out of Tokyo Olympics

By Equestrian Life

Sweden’s Patrik Kittel has announced overnight that he and Well Done De La Roche CMF are out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to an injury sustained in training.

“To my sadness, Well Done tripped in yesterday’s training; a small injury prevents us to compete in [the] Tokyo Olympics. I am broken to the core [but] Welly will always come first. I will now support my students and team friends in the honour to represent Sweden,” said Patrik in a handwritten statement.

Patrik and the 13-year-old mare are currently ranked 14th in the world and were considered a possible medal chance; at the 2018 WEG, they finished fifth individually. Tokyo was to be Patrik’s fourth Olympics, and first with “Welly”.

Sweden will now call on their travelling reserve combination, Antonia Ramel and Brother De Jeu, to join her sister Juliette Ramel (Buriel KH) and Therese Nilshagen (Dante Weltino) on the Olympic team.

Patrik is the second dressage rider to have withdrawn from the competition after arrival in Tokyo, after South Africa’s Tanya Seymour was forced to pull out with Ramoneur 6 due to laminitis; the 19-year-old was set to be the oldest horse in the field before his shock diagnosis.

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