Karen O’Connor, an integral part of Team SUCCEED, took ninth place in the individual eventing competition, and seventh place as part of Team USA in the team rankings. Congratulations, Karen and Mr. Medicott, and all of Team USA!
Three-Day Eventing: Olympic Show Jumping Team Results
In the show jumping portion of Olympic eventing, the first round decides the team competition and is a qualifier for the second show-jumping round. The second round decides the individual result. Germany took home its second consecutive Olympic gold medal in team eventing, led by Michael Jung (who also won individual gold), Sandra Auffarth, and Ingrid Klimke. Great Britain took home silver on its home turf, and New Zealand won the bronze.
Team USA Team Results:
Team USA finished seventh, handicapped by the withdrawal of Otis Barbotiere by Boyd Martin due to a suspected sprained ankle from yesterday’s cross country. Martin had been in 26th place overall with 54.30 penalties, but his withdrawal meant the team had to rely instead on Tiana Coudray’s 77.60 score. Phillip Dutton was penalized for hitting two rails and having a refusal, but he and Karen O’Connor (who jumped a clean round) both advanced to the top-25 individual jumping final.
Team USA Individual Results:
Michael Jung of Germany took home gold in the individual competition, followed by Sara Ostholt Algotsson of Sweden, and Sandra Auffarth of Germany. Karen O’Connor led the pack of U.S. athletes with a ninth-place finish and a beautiful foot-perfect double-clear round that highlighted Mr. Medicott’s high fitness level and scope. Many of the first horses looked tired following yesterday’s challenging cross-country course, but Karen and Mr. Medicott really stepped it up for Team USA, and once again, Mr. Medicott looked strong and fit. Phillip Dutton finished at 23rd place, with a score of 81.10.
Karen O’Connor’s 2012 London Olympics:
Stay tuned for a review of Karen O’Connor’s fifth Olympic Games — and likely her last, pending the decision of the U.S. Equestrian Federation committee about any potential conflicts of interests when Karen’s husband, David, steps up as the U.S. Equestrian Team coach.
Up Next: SUCCEED-Sponsored Rider Steffen Peters in Dressage
Steffen Peters, another member of Team SUCCEED, leads the U.S. dressage team going into the Olympics, and is widely regarded as a gold-medal contender. The Grand Prix segment of the individual dressage competition runs Thursday and Friday, followed by the Grand Prix Special on August 7, with the Grand Prix Freestyle on August 9. We’ll be following Steffen and the other members of Team USA closely; subscribe to the SUCCEED blog so you don’t miss any of the action.
