“They deserved this. They had to work bloody hard”
The medal may convey been a bronze, exactly the 3rd placing inward the Olympic squad eventing contest was a real golden instant for equestrian sport inward New Zealand.
The principal executive of Equestrian Sports New Zealand, Jim Ellis, stepped exterior the Greenwich Tavern where a bounding main of Kiwis were celebrating to limited his joy at the performance.
“We’re thrilled,” he told Horsetalk. “There is a whole grouping of people who convey done a tremendous job. They’ve done a huge total of work.”
The Kiwi squad finished third behind powerhouses Deutschland in addition to Great Britain, in addition to inward doing then headed off other traditionally rigid equestrian nations, including the the U.S.A. in addition to Australia.
The five-strong squad – Mark Todd, Andrew Nicholson, Jonathon Paget, Caroline Powell in addition to Jonelle Richards – all completed the competition, amongst unopen to standout performances, including Todd’s dressage exam in addition to Nicholson’s fine cross-country run.
Todd’s cross-country performance, inward which he incurred solely a 0.4 fourth dimension penalty, was notable for his continuing the course of written report amongst broken reins.
The Germans, Ellis said, position inward a tremendous surgery to win gold, in addition to the British squad had its ups in addition to downs, exactly got over the describe for silver.
“I intend the consequence was a fair reflection of what went on,” he said.
“I think, amongst the riders nosotros convey got, I don’t intend people would hold back at us right away in addition to intend it is a surprise,” Ellis said.
The Kiwis, he said, were a actually rigid squad – “with an emphasis on the squad bit”.
The bonding of the squad in addition to their focus had non escaped the attending of others, he said.
“They deserved this. They had to operate bloody hard.”
Ellis said the bronze medal was bully tidings for the sport inward New Zealand at a high-performance level, as equestrian sport had met its target of the terminal ii years to larn a medal.
Achieving that, he said, built trust inward Equestrian Sports New Zealand’s high surgery programme in addition to would hopefully consequence inward fifty-fifty to a greater extent than investment inward the sport at a transcend level.
He said representatives of the funding body, Sparc, had been to lookout the competition. “They were blown away past times what the sport is … high-level eventing”.
Ellis was total of praise for the five-strong squad in addition to what they brought to the competition.
The country, he said, was freakishly lucky to convey Todd in addition to Nicholson. “In their ain ways they are absolute legends. Both of them are as deserving.”
Ellis said 1 had solely to run into how the distich were mobbed past times fans at the Games to realise the standing inward which they were held inward the equestrian community.
So, are nosotros probable to run into these ii seven-time Olympians at the Rio Games inward iv years’ time?
Ellis said Nicholson was sure committed inward going forward, in addition to he was hopeful that Todd would brand that journey, too.
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