EQUESTRIAN: It wasn't quite the finish the Australian Eventing team we're hoping for at the 2014 World Equestrian Games (WEG), slipping from the bronze medal position to finish fifth in the team's score.
But with three riders finishing in the top 20, Australis's eventers have booked their spot at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, one of the major goals coming into WEG.
Sam Griffiths and Paulank Brockagh had the best show jumping result with only one rail down.
"She jumped beautifully, sometimes you're just unlucky and that's what I felt today. As I went through the flags I thought I was clear but as I looked around I saw the rail down. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn't.
"The team achieved one of its major goals and that was to qualify for Rio - so now all attention turns to Rio and preparing our horses for making the next Olympics," said Griffiths.
It was again Olympian Stuart Tinney who showed that experience counts, finishing on top for the Aussies with only two rails down.
It was a mixed final day for the Aussies after a sensational cross country round.
Shane Rose and Taurus were first out and were unlucky to have 6 rails down. Griffiths followed Rose to have only one rail down and add 4 points.
Staurt Tinney and Paul Tapner rounded out the Aussie rides, both with only two rails down.
While it edged them out of medal contention, Chef d'Equipe Prue Barrett said the Aussies showed true determination and proved we have the riders to mix it with the best.
"It didn't quite go our way today but what we did do is qualify for the Rio Olympics. We didn't qualify after the 2010 WEG which put huge pressure on our riders leading into London.
"Now we know we've qualified and can purely focus on getting our horses ready for the next Olympics," said Barrett.
Germany finished atop the dias followed by Great Britain and the Netherlands. Full results HERE
The Eventing Team qualifying follows the Dressage Team who were the first to secure quota places in any sport for the Rio Olympics earlier in the World Equestrian Games.
Competition at the World Equestrian Games continues on Tuesday, with Australia fielding teams in the jumping and non-Olympic driving and vaulting disciplines.
Equestrian Australia Release
Eventing team moves into third position after Cross-Country
EQUESTRIAN:In true fighting spirit Australia’s eventing team has produced a sensational performance on cross country day at the 2014 World Equestrian Games (WEG), to move from ninth place into bronze medal position.
After losing team mate Chris Burton prior to the start of competition (due to horse illness), the pressure was on for the remaining five Aussie riders to get around cross country clear – a tall order for what has been described as one of the ‘toughest four star courses seen in recent years’.
In the team’s competition, Australia was one of only six countries to have all starters successfully get round the course and finish, with a third of the field wiped out due to falls or retiring of the horse. Of the 87 starters, only 63 made it home.
For Olympian Shane Rose, this was as much about the team result as well as redemption from the 2012 Olympics, with his horse Taurus finally getting the chance to represent Australia after it was withdrawn in London due to injury.
“He’s (Taurus) never run on anything even remotely like that but he’s a super cross country horse and I’m very pleased with him.
“At one point I didn't think we’d get home, I really didn't cope with the ground and I started to panic a little.
“He struggled to get across the ground. But once he got over the double brushes he figured out how to get around and he got a second wind.
“We had to get him home because unfortunately we are down a member so it was very important to get through those finish flags,” said Rose.
Fellow Olympian Stuart Tinney (2000 and 2004) also pulled out a stellar ride with Pluto Mio to finish in the top 10, the combination the best ranked Aussies at the end of the day. While Stuart rides as an individual and his score doesn’t count towards the team position, his performance still puts him within reach of a medal.
“It was hard to keep going. The ground got particularly bad in some spots but he (Pluto Mio) was great, he dug deep and jumped really well.
“The crowd helped him at the last water jump, they got involved and he pricked his ears and off he went. He rose to the occasion and the crowd cheered,” said Tinney.
There was no taking away from any of the Australian’s performances. Sam Griffiths (Paulank Brockagh) backed up his 2014 Badminton winning performance to lead the team out in style, followed by Australian team debutant Bill Levett (aged 53) with Shannondale Titan making his first representative appearance one to remember. The final rider of the day Paul Tapner (Kilronan), known for his flamboyance in cross country, delivered a smart and calculated ride to ensure his points counted to the overall team standing.
At the end of the cross country the preliminary results have Australia sits in the bronze medal position on 226.8 penalties, behind Germany (177.9) and Great Britain (186.8). Final results will be found at http://www.normandy2014.com/2014-games/the-disciplines/3/eventing#results
Australia was ninth after the two days of Dressage competition and then were impacted by Chris Burton's horse TS Jamaimo not recovering from an illness to be able to contest the Cross-Country and forced out of the event.
Equestrian Australia Release
