Dressage gold as Team GB surpass Beijing haul
Team GB’s London 2012 gold medal haul surpasses its Beijing total as equestrians Laura Bechtolsheimer, Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester triumph in the team dressage event.
Going into the event Great Britain & Northern Ireland had never won a team dressage gold medal at the Olympic Games. The medal is the third for Team GB’s equestrians following the team jumping gold won yesterday and the silver picked up by Team GB’s eventers last week.
Carl Hester, riding Uthopia, was the first to compete for Team GB – and scored a massive 80.571 per cent, putting him at the top of the individual leader board and giving Team GB a great start in their pursuit for GB’s first gold ever in team dressage.
Laura Bechtolsheimer was the second rider for Team GB, riding her horse Mistral Hojris, and achieved another good score for Team GB – 77.873 per cent. The score put her in second place in the individual leader board and gave Great Britiain & Northern Ireland a team score of 79.315 per cent – putting them ahead of nearest rivals Germany.
Germany had won the gold in the team dressage event seven times in a row prior to this event. Germany’s last equestrian, Helen Langhanenberg, riding Damon Hill, competed first. She scored a 78.952 per cent to give the Germans a team total of 78.219 per cent.
Last to compete for Team GB was 26-year-old Charlotte Dujardin, riding Valegro. Dujardin scored 81.905 per cent to guarantee Team GB gold with a final team score of 79.749 per cent.
Olympic Dressage
In the Olympic dressage the horse and rider perform a series of seven movements known as the dressage test.
Seven judges watch the performance, giving scores for the individual movements and the overall routine.
The riders are given a score, with the maximum being 100 per cent for an entirely flawless routine.
