EQUESTRIAN: Jake Hunter has had his first competitive ride at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in the Jumping Team Event.

The YOG-tailored event splits all 30 Youth Olympic Games riders into six groups- one team per continent. Hunter rode for equal-fourth-placed Australasia with teammates from New Zealand, Hong Kong, Iran and Malaysia.

The Australasians were deeply unlucky, with four of the five riders including Hunter hitting just one rail. Had they jumped a few millimetres higher between them, they could have been celebrating clean rides.

In each round, the three lowest penalty points are cumulated as the team points- the team with the lowest score takes the gold after two days of jumping.

With a flawless display of showjumping, the European team is the one to catch when riders take to the course again tomorrow. The Europeans had three riders with no penalties.

South America sits in second position with 4 penalties and North America is in third with 8 penalties. Africa and Australasia sit in equal fourth position on 12.

The traditional Individual Event from Saturday 23rd - Sunday 24th August. The Team Event is the ideal preparation for riders who only received their horses once here in Nanjing.

Taya Conomos
olympics.com.au
@AUSOlympicTeam