Remarkably Hoy and Vassily De Lassos were the only combination out of over 60 entries to not add any penalties after the Dressage. Meaning after the Cross Country, and two clear Show Jumping performances (Team and Individual) they won bronze with 29.60 points, after starting the final day sitting seventh on the Individual rankings. 

Three-time Olympian Rose on Virgil now has three team medals and McNab on Don Quidam has his first Olympic medal at his first Games. McNab was the reserve until just one day before the competition, when Sydney 2000 gold medallist Stuart Tinney's horse Leporis was deemed unfit to compete. 

After the three disciplines, and four days of competition, the gold medal was won by Great Britain with 89.30 points, with Australia’s 100.20pts just clear of defending champions France in bronze with 101.50pts.  

This wasn’t only a big victory for Great Britain, this is their first gold in the event in 49 years and Australia improved on their bronze from Rio and missing the podium in London. Eventing is the discipline that Australia has a strong history winning three consecutive gold in this event at Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000. And then recently a silver at Beijing 2008 and a bronze in Rio 2016. 

Hoy at 62 was very pleased with the result and the true team effort. 

“Well, it is very, very special. We don't come to these championships, especially the Olympic Games, to finish fourth, fifth or sixth. We only come to get a medal,” Hoy said. 

“It has been a complete team effort. Vassily has done a wonderful job to finish on his dressage score but if it wasn't for Kevin and Shane and their complete support team, we wouldn't be here. 

“It was disappointing for Stuart to go out at the last minute. But Kevin came in and did an absolutely fantastic job, first Olympics, to win a silver medal, that's pretty impressive. I wish I'd done that at my first Olympics.” 

McNab was first out for Australia in the show jumping and he and Don Quidam jumped beautifully for a clean round. The 43-year-old couldn’t quite believe it. 

“Speechless. Absolutely, amazing,” McNab said, in an attempt to describe his silver medal and 14th place in the Individual. 

“I was actually settled into the role I was in, so I was really surprised. At the same time, I felt for Stuart, they were big shoes to fill. I've tried to do my bit. There was a bit of pressure there but hopefully I've done it.” 

Shane Rose knows what it takes to win Olympic team medals and he also knows the heartbreak of needing to withdraw on the eve of Olympic competition. 

“It's not really just three of us. We've got a whole squad of riders,” Rose said. 

“I may not have been in here if those involved in the squad hadn't had injuries to themselves or horses. It's just been the next man up. I've been in Stuart's situation where your horse has gone lame. In 2012 I had to move out of the Olympic Village when my horse went lame. It rips your heart out.” 

Rose also placed a fantastic 10th in the Individual. But he explains how the focus is on Team performances first for the Australians.  

“We're all mates. I don't know if every other team are. You ride the highs and lows with them, it's not just your own performance. But we think Team first in Australia, so your performance individually is going to affect your team mates.  

“You want to always put your best foot forward. For me, watching them do well is great. If someone has a bad moment, you feel that with them. 

 “We're a real team, things happen, we all know that. Kevin has done an amazing job. Three weeks ago, he wasn't a travelling reserve even. To have a silver medal, he's done an amazing job. Stuart has been amazing supporting us, he's every bit part of this team, that's really important to put out there. “ 

Hoy, as he is known to always do, was praising everyone around him. 

“If is wasn’t for the complete support team we wouldn’t be here. It is our High Performance Team, the Australian Olympic Committee as well that are really behind us.  

“With the support team we have, it gave us the opportunity to focus on what we needed to focus on. This is something we do on a daily basis, this isn't something we just come in and have a go at. It's given us time to focus, time to have discussions; we've worked incredibly well as a team. That's been behind the whole success.” 

At the end of the dressage phase, Australia was sitting in sixth position on 93.40 points and 15.1 points behind Great Britain. After Sunday’s Cross Country, and three sensational rides by the Australians, the team had moved to second (96.20), but Great Britain had extended their lead further.  

Australia had a very narrow lead (0.9 pts) over France ahead of the Show Jumping and New Zealand were also in striking distance. In order to win the silver, the Aussies would need to go clear, or hope for a mistake from the third placed French who trailed the Aussies by less than one show jumping rail. 

There was no room for error. 

A mistake from the second French rider gave the Aussies some breathing space. 

Rose clipped one show jumping rail, which removed the buffer between the Aussies and the French, reinstating the narrow margin. 

When the third French rider completed a clear show jumping round, the pressure was on Hoy to also ride clear. He rode with precision and delivered the result the Aussies needed to secure second position on the dais.  

Hoy again jumped a clear round for the Individual Final. Rose had 4 penalties and McNab 12, but for them they had done the job they needed for the Team. 

The Individual gold was won by Germany’s Julia Krajewski on Amande De B’Neville - the first woman to win the Individual Eventing competition in the history of the Olympics. Britain’s Tom McEwen on Toldeo De Kerser won the silver, to go with his Team gold.  

But in the eyes of Australia and the sport’s purists the performance by Hoy, and his record-breaking longevity in the sport dating back to Los Angeles 1984 make him the star of Equestrian Eventing at Tokyo 2020, in 2021. 

Andrew Reid