Team GB clinch bronze in the dressage team final in Tokyo as flawless favourites Germany saunter to victory again and the USA take silver… but Charlotte Dujardin wins a record-equalling fifth Olympic medal
Team GB claimed another bronze in Tokyo after three fine performances in the dressage team final – and Charlotte Dujardin won a record-equalling fifth medal.
The eventual winners were the widely fancied favourites at the Tokyo Equestrian Centre and deservedly claimed the title with 8178 points.
The USA took 7747 while Great Britain finished third after scoring 7723 in total.
Germany’s three riders delivered inspired runs to clinch them the gold medal in team dressage
Team GB and Charlotte Dujardin (above) were pipped to the silver medal by the USA in Tokyo
Dujardin delivered an impressive run on her mount Gio, but has missed out on becoming the first British woman to win gold at three straight Olympics for now.
However, the medal did see her move alongside Dame Katherine Grainger as Great Britain’s most decorated female Olympian.
Carl Hester took to the sport’s biggest stage with aplomb atop En Vogue, scoring 78.344 per cent with the young horse to keep Britain firmly in contention.
Carl Hester and En Vogue shone on Great Britain’s first performance to put them in contention
The experienced Hester and his 12-year-old gelding enjoyed a flying start, and were treated to eights and nines.
Although the second part of the test took a minor dip, their final pirouette and one-tempis wrapped up the fine result.
‘That was cool,’ Hester said. ‘I had a great balance with En Vogue, and I feel he came here as a boy and he went in there like a man.
‘It still feels like he is one of the best horses you could ever sit on. He is amazing.
The experienced Hester and his young mount wrapped up a fine result with their late pirouette
‘We’ve always known he is so talented, and I have just been waiting for the right ride so I could just prove what we know we think he is.’
The winners from London 2012 were second in the rankings after the opening round, behind a dominant Germany, before Charlotte Fry on Everdale took to the spotlight.
On her debut at the Olympics, Fry scored 76.854 per cent and temporarily took Team GB back to the top before world No 1 Isabell Werth dazzled with Bella Rose.
By doing so, Fry and an extravagant Everdale boosted hopes of Britain winning a medal, and she insisted her horse ‘tried his heart out’ and gave me ‘everything.’
Charlotte Fry and Everdale took to the spotlight second and moved Team GB temporarily top
Everdale had made a costly error after breaking into a canter early in the test, taking the marks down from eights to fours, but a cool-headed Fry kept her horse on track.
Reigning individual dressage champion Dujardin then stepped up next after the break with Gio, a mount largely inexperienced on the international stage.
They scored 79.54 per cent, leaving them in second behind the United States after their superb final ride, but Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl was near faultless.
That left Germany to take the gold, with the USA behind them in silver and Team GB picking up bronze.
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