Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat is the new Olympic individual showjumping champion.
Riding the 11-year-old Nino Des Buissonnets, the 30-year-old was the only rider to jump two faultless rounds today in the Greenwich stadium. He took gold without needing to jump off.
Dutchman Gerco Schroder and Ireland’s Cian O’Connor both finished on one time-fault and jumped off for silver.
Gerco went first and jumped clear on the chestnut London, while Cian O’Connor just tipped the final fence on Blue Loyd 12.
Gerco therefore added a second silver to the one he won in the team competition, while Cian became the first Irish equestrian of the Games to win a medal in bronze.
All three British riders had one fence down apiece in the final round. Ben Maher took out the first part of the treble on Tripple X — in the first round he had just hit the second part of the same combination.
Scott Brash was clear in the first round but rubbed off the first part of the double at 4a this time on Hello Sanctos.
And Nick Skelton and Big Star had their first rail of the entire Games in the second round, the tall upright at fence eight, leaving Nick and Scott in equal fifth place.
“That’s what happens,” said a disappointed Nick. “You can’t go back and change it. It’s a heart-breaking sport, but there we go.”
Saudi Arabia’s Kamal Bahamdan finished just out of the medals in fourth with just a time-fault in each round on the marvellous mare Noblesse Des Tess.
And American Rich Fellers was sixth behind the two British riders on the 16-year-old Flexible, an Irish-bred son of Cruising. They had four faults in the first round but jumped a brilliant clear in the second.
Report on the Olympic dressage and showjumping team contests in H&H out this Friday, 10 August. Report on the individual competitions and commemorative special issue out next Thursday, 16 August.
