Could Great Britain become the first nation ever to become five-time eventing team champions at the Paris Olympics?

Team GB arrived in France this week as defending champions, after a brilliant team gold in Tokyo three years — 49 years after the last team gold for Britain.

Since then, Great Britain has won team gold at the 2021 European Championship in Switzerland, where British riders also claimed the individual gold (Nicola Wilson), silver (Piggy March) and bronze (Sarah Bullimore) medals.

At the 2022 World Championship in Pratoni, Italy, Britain’s Yasmin Ingham was crowned world champion riding Banzai du Loir. They have travelled to Paris as reserves.

Great Britain

Two team members from Tokyo are back at the Games — Laura Collett and Tom McEwen.

Laura rides London 52, the same horse she partnered in Tokyo. Since then they have won two five-star titles — Badminton in 2022 and Luhmuhlen last year, and were a part of the gold medal-winning team at last year’s Europeans.

Tom McEwen won individual silver in Tokyo and is riding a different horse at these games — JL Dublin (the horse on whom Nicola Wilson won those European gold medals three years ago).

Since taking over the ride from Nicola, Tom and Dublin have been runners up at the Kentucky CCI5* for two years running, as well as third at the Pau CCI5* last September.

Ros Canter completes the British line up for Paris on her 2023 Badminton winner Lordships Graffalo, who also carried her to individual European gold last summer.

But while Britain fields a very strong team for the Games, they face plenty of competition. The new three-per-team with no drop score format that was introduced in Tokyo remains in place and leaves no room for error.

Germany

Germany also has four Olympic team gold medals to its name and is hunting a fifth victory in Paris.

Team member Julia Krajewski will be out to defend the individual eventing title she won in Tokyo — a historical moment as she was the first female athlete to do so.

Julia was riding Amande de B’Neville in Tokyo, the mare who also carried her to team gold and individual silver at the World Championships a year later.

However, the horse has since retired and Julia will ride Nickel 21 in Paris, the 10-year-old gelding she piloted to victory at the CCIO4*-S at Aachen in Germany earlier this month.

Originally the team reserve, Julia was called up following Sandra Auffarth’s withdrawal. She is joined by Christoph Wahler (riding Carjatan S) and Michael Jung (on Chipmunk FRH).

Michael is a dual Olympic champion himself, having won back-to-back individual golds at the London 2012 and Rio 2017 Games. He also collected team gold in London and team silver in Brazil. This makes him the most medalled event rider competing in Paris.

So all in all, Germany is another very strong team. Christoph and Carjatan were been a part of the World Championship-winning team in 2022, as well as helping to secure European team silver last year.

Germany’s reserves are Calvin Bockmann and The Phantom of the Opera.

Germany’s record

Germany holds the record for most individual Olympic Eventing titles with a total of five. In fact, German riders have won all of the last four Olympic individual titles:

  1. Hinrich Romeike (riding Marius) in Beijing in 2008
  2. Michael Jung (Biosthetique Sam FBW) in London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016
  3. Julia Krajewski (Armande de B’Neville) in Tokyo

Australia

Australia took team silver in Tokyo and they return with two of the same combinations in Kevin McNab riding Don Quidam and Shane Rose aboard Virgil. Christopher Burton completes the trio with Shadow Man.

Shane’s appearance in Paris is nothing short of miraculous, as a fall earlier this year left him so badly injured that he had to learn to walk again, let alone ride.

He rides Virgil in Paris, with whom he finished tenth place individually in Tokyo, having previously taken team silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Kevin and Don Quidam finished 14th individually in Tokyo, while Chris Burton was a part of the bronze medal-winning team in Rio eight years ago.

Chris has been away showjumping for the last few years, but turned his focus back to eventing when offered the ride on British rider Ben Hobday’s Shadow Man earlier this year. Chris will be lining up at his third Games.

Australia’s travelling reserve is Shanae Lowings with Bold Venture.

France

We don’t see French riders competing on British soil as often as the other nations, which perhaps makes them easy to forget — but overlook them at your peril, because history tells us that this team knows how to pull off the big results when it really matters.

France won team gold in Rio eight years ago and took team bronze in Tokyo. Its Paris team fields two members of that side who are also former gold medallists.

It’s the same line-up of riders that took bronze at last year’s European Championship, but there is one change of horse, as this time 2004 team champion Nicolas Touzaint brings the 11-year-old Diabolo Menthe.

Rio 2016 gold medallist Karim Florent Laghouag will partner his Tokyo 2020 ride Triton Fontaine.

Completing the line-up is Stephane Landois and Chaman Dumontceau, who joined Nicolas and Karim to clinch that European bronze last summer on home ground at Haras du Pin.

France’s reserves are Gireg Le Coz and Aisprit De La Loge.

USA and New Zealand

There are many more strong nations also bidding for a place on the podium, including the USA and New Zealand who took world silver and bronze respectively in 2022. There are a number of exciting individuals too.

Australia and USA riders also arrive in Paris with four Olympic team golds under their belt, so the fight for a historic fifth team gold is a four-way battle.

In fact, Australia already holds the unique record of winning three team titles in a row:

  1. Barcelona in 1992
  2. Atlanta in 1996
  3. On home ground in Sydney in 2000
  4. Australia’s first gold was earned in Rome in 1960.

Other nations

Sweden has claimed a hat-trick of team golds in the past, their last victory being in Helsinki in 1952.

Both France and The Netherlands have claimed Olympic team gold twice, while Italy stood top of the team podium just once. That was in Tokyo in 1964, when team member Mauro Checcoli and Surbean also clinched individual gold.

The first horse inspection took place in Paris this morning and the action gets underway tomorrow with the dressage phase.

View our Olympic timetable and find out how to watch

Main image (above): Britain’s team gold medallists pictured in the lap of honour at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games (from left) Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class, Laura Collett and London 52, Tom McEwen on Toledo de Kerser. Image by FEI/Libby Law

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