Team GB jumpers secure team final spot in style
Thursday 01 August 2024
.jpg "Team GB jumpers secure team final spot in style")
In hot and humid conditions, the Paris 2023 jumping competition got underway with the team qualification round, where the 20 starting teams would be whittled down to a top 10 to jump for medals tomorrow. Course designing duo Santiago Varela (ESP) and Gregory Bodo (FRA) set the competitors a true Olympic test for day one, which made qualifying less than a simple task.
BEN MAHER AND DALLAS VEGAS BATILLY
Team GB’s trio was drawn 10th to go, with Ben Maher and Charlotte Rossetter, Pamela Wright and his own Dallas Vegas Batilly acting as pathfinders – a role Ben has often taken on at recent championship and seems to enjoy.
After watching the first few, Ben cantered into the spectacular arena, surveyed the course and set off. ‘Tilly’ is naturally a big striding horse, which was well matched to the distances set by the course designers, and the duo sailed round clear and inside the time looking totally secure.
“Everything was great today – it’s just nice to get the first round out of the way,” said Ben. “For the first two jumps, she felt like she was just finding her feet a little bit. But as I came down the next line there, she grew in confidence and really found her feet, so to speak. It was a great round for her to start. Normally, she would improve in confidence as the rounds go on, so this is a positive start. I think we should have a good week.”
The gathered media asked for his thoughts on his jumping partner Tilly, who was a late replacement for stallion Point Break, who Ben felt wasn’t quite on top form coming into the Games; “She can be temperamental, but she feels very on it and focused this week. From day one when we got here, she's been very settled and very calm in her head. I'm not having to do much warm-up at all, which is helping me a little bit in the heat. She feels really ready and confident and that gives me as a rider a lot of confidence,” he explained.
HARRY CHARLES AND ROMEO 88
A matter of weeks before travelling to Paris, Harry Charles celebrated his 25th birthday, making him one of the youngest competitors this week. Unfortunately, he also fractured his right wrist competing at CHIO Aachen, which rather hampered his preparations for his second Olympic Games. With help from the World Class Performance Human Sport Science and Medicine team, generously funded by The National Lottery via UK Sport, he got help from a specialist, who put an accelerated recovery programme in place so Harry’s Paris 2024 dream remained alive. Two casts and some rehab later, and the Hampshire-based rider arrived at Versailles at full strength.
Romeo 88, who he jointly owns with Ann Thompson, was Harry’s partner in Tokyo, when they’d been together just six months, but some three years and with some high profile wins behind them, they’re now a true partnership who know each other inside and out. However, day one of the Olympic Games always brings added emotion and pressure.
The pair set off well, with Harry utilising Romeo’s natural speed to his advantage to ensure there were no potentially costly time faults. They navigated three-quarters of the couse with ease, but when they got to the final treble combination, Romeo gave the lightest of touches to the flimsy plank on the B element and it fell. They were clear the rest of the way, but it was four on the board for Team GB.
“I was very happy,” said Harry afterwards. “I was, of course, a bit nervous going in there. You never really 100% know what's going to happen, but it was great. Some spooky jumps out there, really technical lines, and it’s probably a bit bigger than I thought it would be, but I’m very happy with four faults. The most important thing is that he finished as well as he started. Tomorrow we all go back to zero and we start from scratch, so it's a new fight.”
“The lines didn't really suit Romeo,” he went on to say. “He's not the biggest striding horse, which today was more suited to. When I walked the course, I had quite a different plan to the one I rode but, of course, there's the beauty of not going first. You can watch a few and slightly adapt it.”
And what are Harry’s thoughts on his teammates and being at Paris 2024? “I think it brings a little bit more pressure – we probably expect a bit more of us. Being on the team with Ben and Scott also carries a bit of weight. They're two amazing guys, so I don't want to let them down, either. But to have a full crowd, which we didn’t get to have that in Tokyo, is fantastic, and to see it packed out is even cooler. It really feels something a bit bigger than showjumping – I'm very proud to be part of Team GB.”
Of course the assembled media were keen to hear about the wrist; “It's honestly perfect – I didn't really feel it. I can't wait to get this [strapping] off and get some air at it because it's so hot in here!
“But sure, it disturbed the preparations a little bit. I would say it's nearly fully healed – I don't know if the doctor would agree with me, but it feels pretty good. I'd say for the first week I was very unsure, I kept telling everyone it was fine, it was fine. I got the cast off, got straight back on when I got home. I said okay if I can ride Hickstead – that was last week – I can ride at the Olympics and we got in good shape. It was a bit stressful for a while, but we made it,” he said, before sharing that his father, Olympic gold medallist Peter Charles, took over Romeo’s preparations while Harry was out of action.
SCOTT BRASH AND JEFFERSON
Scott Brash is renowned for his cool head, so he’s the ideal anchorman and, even in today’s preliminary round, that calm disposition was needed. With Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham’s Jefferson, he went in knowing that a great round was needed to secure a top-10 position for the team and the chance to ride against the world’s best for a medal.
A member of the London 2012 team gold medal team with Ben Maher, Scott is no stranger to tough tests on day one of a championship. He also had plenty of time to watch previous rounds, as well as first-hand feedback from team members Ben and Harry.
With the advice firmly in his mind, he set off and his plucky bay partner was really jumping. ‘Jezza’ can often take charge, thinking he knows best, but today he had an air of calm and was very ridable for Scott. They were clear until the same treble where Harry faulted, but this time it was the A element was the one to fall – despite the pair hardly touching it. They were clear the rest of the way and it would be a final score of eight for Team GB, with a wait of 10 more teams to find out if that was enough to qualify for tomorrow’s team finale.
“I’m delighted, said a happy Scott. “I think we're all very happy with our horses, feeling in good shape and coping with everything well – the heat and the atmosphere and things. So, yeah, I think we're all happy ahead of tomorrow. He [Jefferson] is a more experienced horse and I know him well. He's very sharp, so he spots everything – if a bird flies out of the bushes, he spots it, so you never really know how he's going to cope with such a big atmosphere. But he delivered again. He felt really comfortable once he got in there and focused on his job. And, yeah, I’m just delighted with him.”
As the day progressed, the fences fell and the faults knotched up, and Britain began to rise through the ranks. At the end, just one team managed three clear rounds, and it was medal-favourites Germany to sit top of the rankings. The US was second after amassing six in their final round, while Britain were third on eight faults.
QUALIFIED NATIONS
- GER – 0/229.74
- USA – 6/227.57
- GBR – 8/227.27
- BEL – 8/231.52
- NED – 8/233.31
- IRL – 9/230.22
- FRA – 12/228.44
- SWE – 17/237.93
- ISR – 20/227.90
- MEX – 20/230.14
Tomorrow, it’s all to play for because the scores are wiped and all 10 teams start on zero, as the competition for podium places and a place in Olympic history gets underway at 13.00 (BST).
Full results and times for tomorrow can be found on Olympic.org and read British Equestrian's ‘how to watch’ guide for all your viewing information.
Image: Tilly Berendt
Article: British Equestrian Federation
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