Tokyo 2020 - Great Britain win eventing team gold to end 49-year wait for Olympic glory
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Updated 02/08/2021 at 13:02 GMT
Oliver Townend, Laura Collett and Tom McEwen are Olympic champions after winning the team eventing at Tokyo 2020. The GB trio were superb in the final round having led through most of the team events. The Olympic triumph ends a 49-year wait for gold in the team jumping. You want it? We have it. Stream every Olympic event live on discovery+.
'Wow, by a country mile!' - GB win team eventing gold in style
Great Britain’s Oliver Townend, Laura Collett and Tom McEwen won a long overdue team eventing gold at Tokyo 2020.
It is the first time since the 1972 Munich Olympics GB have won gold in the event and in the end it was a dominant win for the British trio.
Britain finished first on 86.30, with Australia earning silver and France taking the bronze.
McEwen was up first for the Brits riding on Toledo De Kerser. He was on 28.90 individually after the cross country and successfully strengthened GB’s team lead.
The 30-year-old looked cool and composed in his run, finishing well inside the time limit with 75.62 seconds and producing a clean run.
His classy performance sparked some tears in the GB camp as they edged closer to a potential gold, with praise quickly flowing from the Eurosport commentary box: “That was absolutely textbook round, that even the pure show jumping riders would be very pleased with. Really, really well ridden.”
Collett was up next and was in bronze medal position in the individuals at the start of the round.
But it was a disastrous start as she knocked down bars on the fourth jump to pick up a 4.00 penalty. The 31-year composed herself and her horse London 52 to produce an otherwise clean round and finish in 78.79 seconds.
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Team GB were now at 82.30 in the team standings, with Australia and France well behind with 100.29 and 101.50 respectively.
It meant their star man Townend just needed to keep his composure in the final outing and he and horse Ballaghmor Class delivered in fine style.
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Tom McEwen put in a clean round to start GB off in the jumping
Image credit: Eurosport
Christopher Six made sure France would get a medal with a 78.32 seconds clean run, with his team members celebrating as he crossed the line just within the time limit.
It was then Australia’s turn and Andrew Hoy claimed the silver for his country with a clean run of 74.93 seconds
Townend will be going for gold in the individuals and with Hoy’s run firing Australia into first, Townend and Ballaghmor Class just needed a clean run.
A touch of a bar early on caused concern and then Townend was too slow through the double, knocking over bars on the first jump.
But a 4.00 penalty was not enough to stop GB from claiming gold as Townend finished in 75.52 seconds.
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