Tom McEwen has confirmed Britain’s team gold medal position after cross-country with a masterful clear round in the Olympic eventing cross-country at the Tokyo Games.
Britain’s final rider Tom produced a faultless round on Toledo De Kerser inside the optimum time to finish on his dressage 28.9. Tom moves up from 14th place to the sixth on the provisional results, and the team remain on their dressage score of 78.3 going into the showjumping.
Tom described the 14-year-old gelding, owned by Fred Barker, Penny Barker, Jane Inns and Alison McEwen, as “phenomenal”.
“He wants to jump every fence,” he said. “I’m just pleased I’ve given him the ride he deserved after messing up a couple of things yesterday.”
Tom McEwen on the Olympic eventing cross-country course
Tom, who has made his Olympic debut alongside fellow debutantes Laura Collett and Oliver Townend, said Derek de Grazia’s course rode “amazingly”.
“The other two gave me great feedback that the lines we were walking were the correct ones. I’m not sure if it makes it easier or harder when someone on your team makes it look quite so easy, but it’s about having the confidence in what we’re doing.
“The one thing we will take away is the first water; we all thought it was going to be three [strides] and apart from one or two, everyone’s done four, which is very interesting, but apart from that everything rode really well with lovely distances. It’s so well produced,” he said.
Tom added he is looking forward to the showjumping, which takes place tomorrow evening at the Baji Koen Equestrian Park in Tokyo.
“Obviously it’s a shame there is no people there in the stadium, but it will be really exciting.”
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