GB win first gold at Paris Games in team eventing

Great Britain retained their Olympic team eventing title to win the nation’s first gold medal at the Paris 2024 Games.

Tokyo 2020 champions Laura Collett and Tom McEwen, joined by world number one Ros Canter, sealed victory in Monday’s final showjumping stage at Chateau de Versailles.

Team GB ended the three-day competition with 91.30 penalties to finish a commanding 12.3 clear of host nation France, while Japan took bronze.

Collett, McEwen and Canter topped the standings heading into the jumping finale but had seen their lead drastically reduced in Sunday’s cross-country, following a record-breaking dressage performance.

“On top of the world. I have never, ever ridden into an atmosphere like that. Luckily, London is one trusty partner, so are my team,” Collett told BBC Sport.

“There are no words to describe the atmosphere, all three days. I didn’t think anything would top the cross country, it was unreal.”

The triumph in Tokyo was GB’s first team eventing gold for 49 years, as Collett – once again riding London 52 in Paris – and McEwen were joined by Oliver Townend, with Canter a travelling reserve on that occasion.

Three years after that success the team successfully retained their Olympic title for the first time since achieving back-to-back golds in 1972.

Later on Monday, Great Britain’s riders will compete for individual eventing medals after all three qualified to the final, which starts at 14:00 BST.

Collett will begin the individual final in the bronze medal position, 1.3 penalty points behind Germany’s leader Michael Jung, with second-placed Australian Christopher Burton 0.7 ahead.

Tokyo individual silver medallist McEwen, on JL Dublin, is fourth, 2.7 penalty points off the podium places.

But Canter, with Lordships Graffalo, is 23rd overall after incurring 15 jumping penalties in the cross country which dropped her from sixth to 24th.

The controversial ruling against Canter on Sunday was upheld after British equestrian requested a review, allowing France to cut Great Britain’s lead to 4.7 from 7.4.

Collett’s individual Olympic record display contributed towards a team Olympic record in the dressage on the opening day of competition, but the cross country result meant GB began the final eventing phase under pressure from the hosts.

However, in Monday’s medal decider the British team produced a superb finish to celebrate another golden moment, and comfortably in the end.

Despite Canter’s penalty misfortune, the 38-year-old – who last year became only the fifth rider to win three majors in a single season – kept GB on course for victory, receiving four penalty points in her outing in glorious conditions at a spectacular Olympic venue.

McEwen, 33, then produced a superb penalty-free performance to tighten GB’s grip on the team gold, prompting great celebrations from his onlooking team members.

And Collett, the final rider of the entire competition, delivered the golden touch – despite 4.8 penalty points – and punched the air in delight after completing an outstanding team performance.

Collett, 34, nearly died in a fall in 2013, after which she spent six days in a coma having sustained a punctured lung, spine, shoulder and rib fractures, and lost much of her vision in one eye.

She has described London 52 as “the horse of a lifetime”, and the pairing will return for the individual final with gold medal ambitions, three years after placing ninth in the individual competition as team-mate McEwan made the podium.

McEwen said: “It was class from Laura, poetry in motion.

“It has been a bit of a rollercoaster, I’m gutted for Ros missing out on an individual medal.”