Paris Olympic Happy Hour: US Sails Through the Hoops of Team Qualifier
After “meh” finishes from Team USA in eventing and dressage, I’m on the edge of my seat for our jumping team to bring home some bling.
And so far, so good! They sailed through their qualifier today and will move on to the team final on Friday.
The day got off to an unexpected, early-morning start, with the U.S. Equestrian Federation announcing that alternates Karl Cook and Caracole De La Roque would replace Kent Farrington and Greya in the qualifier due to “a small question mark with Greya, which is allergy related.” As with the other disciplines, there’s no drop score in the jumping team competition, so better safe than sorry.
Karl held up his end of the bargain, turning in a fault-free round along with teammate Laura Kraut with Baloutinue. Anchor rider McLain Ward with Ilex added a rail and two time penalties to bring Team USA’s total penalty score to 6, putting them second only to Germany on the scoreboard.
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The top 10 teams, which will move on to the final:
Germany – 0
United States of America – 6
Great Britain – 8
Belgium – 8
Netherlands – 8
Ireland – 9
France – 12
Sweden – 17
Israel – 20
Mexico – 20
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Ooh, is that a little tickle of hope that I feel in my heart?
Tomorrow’s final is a fresh clean slate and anything could happen, but a solid start is always nice. I like our team — we’ve got two veterans in Laura and McClain plus Karl, who is an Olympic rookie but is on a real hot streak with his mare.
But the competition is stiff: Germany seems determined to win every gold medal in every equestrian discipline, and I think defending Olympic champion Sweden could bounce back after a freak runout nicked their collective score today.
After tomorrow’s final, the jumpers will enjoy a couple days of rest. Then, the individual competition kicks off on Monday with the qualifier followed by a final on Tuesday.
Lil French lesson for ya:
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Go Riding!
