Tough Day for Kiwi Eventers   10 Aug 2016

Equestrian Sports New Zealand

Medals may have slipped from the grasp of the Kiwi eventers but two still finished in the top seven at the Rio Olympic Games, and team placed an agonising fourth.

Clarke Johnstone and Balmoral Sensation will forever remember their debut Olympic Games, as will Sir Mark Todd of his ninth selection.
Johnstone was the best of the Kiwis, finishing sixth in the individual final, while Todd and Leonidas II were seventh and Jonelle Price aboard Faerie Dianimo 17th.

It was a tough day for the whole field – the teams’ final was first, and doubled as the individual qualifier, with the top 25 coming back to jump-off again.

Heading into the final of the teams, New Zealand was in silver medal spot, with a healthy chance of catching leaders Australia.

However, a wide open showjumping track proved challenging, with rails falling freely and the leaderboard having a good shake-up.

Overnight leaders Australia relinquished their lead and had to settle for a bronze medal on 169 penalty points behind winners France on 169 and runners-up Germany 172.8. New Zealand finished fourth on 178.8.

The New Zealand team was poised to take gold, with all the pressure on the shoulders of Todd. Ahead of him Price had dropped two rails and Johnstone ridden a stunning clear. However, Leonidas II, a horse known for his jumping skills had a nightmare, dropping four rails to add 16 faults to the team tally.

The top 25 individuals then came back to jump-off for medals. Price again had two rails, with Johnstone having an uncharacteristic two rails on a horse that jumps at grand prix level usually. Todd and Leonidas II redeemed themselves with a beautiful clear round to finish on 62 penalty points.

The pain was clear to see.

“That was really tough,” said Todd. “We fought back after the dressage to put ourselves into medal position. The other guys did their jobs. If I went clear we could have won gold.”

Todd said the horse had warmed up beautifully but tensed up as he entered the arena.

“The horse got really tense and just froze. I think the atmosphere got to him.”
He contemplated not bringing the horse out for the individual final but said he didn’t want to finish on that note.

“It was too little, too late really,” he said. “It has been a real roller coaster but that is how the sport goes. It is not the fairy tale ending we had hoped for. I can only say sorry to the fans at home. The support we have had from back home has been amazing.

“That second round he jumped how he should have in the first. Seventh is some consolation but it was a bittersweet ride . . . we can only rue what might have been.”

He wasn’t prepared to make any decisions about his future or retirement.
“I will get home, let the dust settle and then see what I am going to do.”
He was ringside to see Michael Jung (GER) and Sam FBW match his back to back gold medal record – a feat only three riders have ever done – finishing on his dressage score of 40.9 penalty points. Astier Nicolas (FRA) and Piaf De B’Neille was second on 48 with Phillip Dutton (USA) and Mighty Nice third on 51.8.

Johnstone felt a full range of emotions after his clear set the team up for a medal, and then his own costly rails in the individual final sliding him off the podium, finishing on 59.3.

“It felt pretty awesome out there,” said Johnstone of the clear round. “The pressure was really on. I am just thrilled to go clear. He touched quite a lot of the jumps which he wouldn’t normally do but it is fair to say I was probably gripping the reins a bit tighter than usual!”

However, it wasn’t long before he too was ruing what could have been.
“I guess it is pretty awesome for my first time here (to finish sixth) but I feel we have just lost two medals. We are all hurting about the team medal – it is what we all wanted but it came crashing down.”

Price said her 17th place finish with 73.5 was “respectable” but felt the team had been on the back foot from the get-go.

“We have been battling away all week, right from when we got here really . . . so close but so far. Faerie Dianimo was a little spooky out there. She is typically such a good jumper, so that is disappointing. This little mare has jumped so many clear rounds.”

She paid tribute to both Jock Paget and her husband Tim Price. Paget’s horse Clifton Lush was injured in a stable incident and while it passed the vet inspection, a decision was made to bring reserve in Tim Price.

Tim Price and his horse Ringwood Sky Boy had an unlucky slip in the cross country which led to elimination.

“Both Tim and Jock have been pivotal to the team,” said Jonelle Price.

“Yesterday they kept the team on track, and kept us in touch with what others were doing. It would have been nice to have sealed it in the end.”

Price, who rode in the pressure-packed anchor position on yesterday’s cross country was happy to pass the mantle to the boys, Johnstone and Sir Mark Todd.
“Thankfully the boys can deal with the pressure today and not me. The pressure is right to the wire.”

Price said the showjumping course was tough and the time difficult to make.
“When the time is difficult, it makes you ride slightly differently than usual.”
She felt Faerie Dianimo was “a little flat” today.

“But that is day three of an event on the other side of the world in 28 degree heat.”

Team high performance coach Erik Duvander said Todd had given so much to New Zealand equestrian and its teams, and he there was nothing to stop that continuing in the future.

“He is riding well and looking fresh . . . I can’t see any reason why he would retire. He is quite a unique person.”

But there were no excuses for today.

“It just didn’t go our way,” says Duvander. “There’s nothing quite like the Olympics and it is something we only get to ‘practice’ every four years. Today underlined horses are individuals too.”

The horse details –
Balmoral Sensation (owned by the Johnstone Family) and Faerie Dianimo (owned by Trisha Rickards, Jacky Green and Jonelle Price), Leonidas II (owned by Diane Brunsden, Peter Cattell and Sir Mark Todd) and Ringwood Sky Boy (owned by Robert Taylor, Varenna Allen, Tim Price and Selwood.com).

ends

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