L-R: Workforce Nederlands (silver medal) Workforce USA (gold medal) and Workforce Germany (bronze medal). © FEI/Liz Gregg
The USA continued their greatest Para Dressage efficiency at a Paralympic Video games by edging Netherlands for gold in a dramatic conclusion to the Workforce occasion at Château de Versailles.
Private greatest scores by Particular person gold medallists Fiona Howard – a shocking 80.000% on Diamond Dunes in Grade II – and Rebecca Hart, who scored 78.567% with Floratina in Grade III, proved vital after one other sturdy Grade I efficiency by Particular person silver medallist Roxanne Trunnell on Fan Tastico H.
That left the USA on a complete of 235.567, beating the Dutch tally of 232.850, with Germany taking bronze on 223.751.
The USA’ earlier greatest Paralympic medal haul was two golds and a bronze at each Atlanta 1996 and Tokyo 2020. They to this point have three golds and one silver at Paris 2024. USA additionally turned the primary nation apart from Nice Britain to win a Para Dressage Workforce occasion at a Paralympic Video games.
However it was a tense finale after the Grade IV duo of Sanne Voets on Demantur (76.567%) and Demi Haerkens with Daula (78.216%) had set the early tempo for Netherlands.
Trunnell, the primary USA athlete to go, scored 77.000% with Fan Tastico H in Grade I, earlier than Howard and the stallion Diamond Dunes delivered the best particular person rating of Paris 2024 up to now, eclipsing Sara Morganti’s 79.458% on Mariebelle for Italy in Grade I earlier within the day.
Whereas there was pleasure round Versailles that it could possibly be a brand new Paralympic file, resulting from adjustments within the assessments because the Rio 2016 Paralympic Video games, it isn’t potential to make direct comparisons or formally recognise it as a file, nevertheless it undoubtedly stays a exceptional achievement.
“I got here out the ring and thought, ‘that felt actually good’, however you by no means know,” mentioned 25-year-old Howard, who now has two golds in her first Paralympic Video games. “Regardless of the rating was, I used to be tremendous happy with him.
“He felt wonderful and did the whole lot I might have requested. However then seeing it mirrored on the scoreboard was simply the cherry on prime. What a horse… he’s so particular.”
That superlative show nudged the USA forward going into the concluding Grade III, however when Rixt van der Horst and Royal Fonq scored 78.067% for the Dutch, Hart entered the world on Floratina realizing she wanted a private greatest rating to take gold.
“It’s at all times a bit intense being the ‘nearer’ on your workforce and it was a really pressure-cooker state of affairs,” mentioned the 39-year-old, who together with Trunnell and Kate Shoemaker was a part of the USA workforce that took bronze at Tokyo 2020.
“I used to be positively doing the maths. I believe my earlier greatest was a 75-something, so it was a soar. Rixt was proper earlier than me and I knew that they had put in a strong first two rides and that she was going to ship too. I had a fast peak on the board and went ‘OK, let’s go, recreation on’. I knew we needed to do one thing fairly particular.
“It was fairly electrical on the market. She (Floratina) was feeling the ambiance and feeling good and feeling recent. I simply wanted to verify I took all that power and used it in a constructive method.”
The mix’s rating of 78.567% introduced the USA dwelling, leaving Van der Horst with combined emotions after successful her second silver medal of those Video games.
“It was a tense feeling going into the check,” she mentioned. “I knew I needed to ship a very good check. For myself, I set the objective of at the least 78 or one thing, hopefully just a little bit extra, and I achieved it, in order that was good.”
Germany earned their third medal at Versailles by edging out Italy for bronze. Anna-Lena Niehues and Quimbaya 6, who took Particular person bronze in Grade IV, scored 75.351%, earlier than Grade V Particular person silver medallist Regine Mispelkamp and Highlander Delight’s earned 75.500%.
There was additionally a primary Paralympic medal – after three earlier fourth-place finishes in Particular person occasions – for the oldest Para Dressage competitor in Versailles, 69-year-old Heidemarie Dresing. She scored 72.900% with Dooloop in Grade II to present Germany a complete of 223.751, with Italy on 223.166 regardless of Morganti’s 79.458% with Mariebelle.
“It’s unbelievable. She actually listened to me and we have been one single factor collectively, which is what we labored for. You possibly can at all times enhance, however right now, in my situation and her situation, it was excellent.”
France completed fifth whereas Nice Britain, who had gained all seven earlier Para Dressage Workforce occasions since Atlanta in 1996, completed sixth.
“We’ve been in entrance for such a very long time,” mentioned GBR’s Natasha Baker, who scored 75.367% on Daybreak Refrain in Grade III. “We didn’t count on to be bringing dwelling the Workforce gold in Tokyo in order that was unreal. The remainder of the world has caught up with us now. It’s simply going to be a case of us looking for ways in which we will sneak again to the highest once more.”
Norway’s Jens Lasse Dokkan, the one Para Equestrian athlete to compete in any respect eight Paralympic Video games since Atlanta in 1996, confirmed that Paris 2024 is more likely to be his swansong.
“I felt the emotion right now,” mentioned the 63-year-old. “I knew this may be my final Paralympics. I haven’t made a last choice about carrying on using, however proper now, I really feel I need to retire.”
by Bryn Palmer