The day was soggy and grey, but the competition today in the 2024 Paris Olympics eventing dressage phase was as hotly contested as it gets. Two horse and rider combinations, Laura Collett (GBR) on London 52, and Michael Jung (GER) on Chipmunk FRH, bested the Olympic record score set in 2000 at the Sydney Olympic Games by gold medalists David O’Connor and Custom Made (USA).
O’Connor’s and Custom Made’s 19.3 score (converted to match the current scoring system) from Sydney stood for 24 years, but today Collett and London 52 earned a 17.5 and Jung and Chipmunk a 17.8, to make them both new Olympic record holders and dropping O’Connor to third best.
Collett and Jung are currently one-two in the standings with China’s Alex Hua Tian and Jilsonne van Bareelhof and Australia’s Christopher Burton and Shadow Man tied for third on 22.0. Switzerland’s Felix Vogg and Dao de L’Ocean are in fifth on 22.1.
In the all-important team standings, Great Britain leads the pack with strong performances from all of their riders (66.7). Germany is second (74.1), France third with (81.2), New Zealand in fourth (83.0), Japan fifth (87.4) and the USA in sixth (88.9).
Top rider for the USA was Elisabeth Halliday on Nutcracker; they currently stand in 19th place (28.0). Second best scorers for the USA were Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake in 25th (30.4). Boyd Martin and Federman B scored (30.5) for 26th.Liz Halliday and Nutcracker score a 28.0. Photo courtesy US Equestrian
Stay tuned for more to come. For more coverage, visit our 2024 Paris Olympics main page.
Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.
Kim MacMillan graduated from Purdue University where she majored in agriculture communications and animal science. She has been reporting on equestrian sports, agriculture, science, travel and history for over 35 years. She and her husband Allen, who is a professional photographer, have covered several World Equestrian, Olympic and Pan American Games. The MacMillans share their Northeastern Indiana farm with several much-loved horses, dogs and cats.
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