News
Klimke (GER) and Algotsson Ostholt (SWE) on top
Jul 31, 2012
Olympic Eventing cross-country produced spectacular sport in Greenwich Park today where at the end of an afternoon filled with thrills, spills, dramas and excitement, team Germany maintained the advantage. But it’s only a slight one, as the host British side lies just over five penalty points behind in silver medal position going into today’s final jumping phase, while Sweden is just over a single point further in arrears.
And first-day dressage joint-leaders – Ingrid Klimke (GER) and Sara Algotsson Ostholt (SWE) – returned to the top of the individual leaderboard when Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa was one of 10 fallers on the track over which 15 of the 70 starters were eliminated. Should Klimke and Algotsson Ostholt hold firm today, the German may live to regret her speedy and seamless tour of the track with Butts Abraxxas, as it her Swedish rival who crossed the finlsh-line closest to the optimum time with her mare, Wega, meaning the Swede would finish ahead.
Britain and Germany playing cat-and-mouse for pole position, while the Swedes rose to third when the Australians lost their grip on overnight runner-up spot. The Aussies were severely hampered by elimination for both Sam Griffiths (Happy Times) who fell on the flat between fences, and anchorman Clayton Fredericks who hit the turf when Bendigo lost his landing gear after the big drop at fence 20. Lucinda Fredericks and Flying Finish had a run-out at the narrow upbank exit from the second water complex, the Australians completed in sixth place and start today 17 points behind team USA in fifth.
Joint-fourth with the Swedes after Dressage, the New Zealand side held their ground when adding just over five penalty points to their tally. Andrew Nicholson (Nereo) produced one of nine rounds within the optimum time, which rocketed him from 21st to ninth placing going into the final day. And it is really tight at the top of the individual leaderboard – the joint-leaders just 0.2 ahead of the masterful Kiwi Mark Todd who nursed the inexperienced Campino home with just 0.40 time penalties to maintain the hold on bronze medal position he established at the end of dressage phase.
Michael Jung’s clean sheet with Sam was pivotal to German dominance, and this partnership lies individually fourth ahead of Great Britain’s Tina Cook (Miners Frolic) and Mary King (Imperial Cavalier), who hold fifth and sixth places respectively, while Sweden’s Ludvig Svennerstal really put himself on the map when adding just 0.4 for time to slot into seventh with Shamwari, just ahead of Germany’s Sandra Auffarth (Opgun Louvo) in eighth.
Source FEI press release Louise Parkes