Harry Charles and Romeo 88 have added eight jumping penalties to the British team score in the Olympic team showjumping final at the Tokyo Games.
Second to go for Team GB, Harry produced a forward round, but the one-stride treble combination at fence six caught the pair out with Romeo 88 clipping the second element. British pathfinders Holly Smith and Denver also had this fence down.
Harry and Ann Thompson’s 12-year-old gelding went on to have the first part of the double down at fence 12, a big upright, but recovered well to clear the second element.
Harry, who retired in the individual final earlier in the week, and had 12 faults in yesterday’s team qualifier, said the final course had been technically the “trickiest yet”.
“It was very big and very technical,” he said. “My horse jumped amazingly, it was his fifth day jumping in a week, which is extreme.
“He came out and jumped a cracking round so I’m delighted with how he’s ended from where we came earlier in the week.”
Harry described Romeo 88 as a “proper fighter”.
“The double [fence 12] is so difficult, even the best horses in the world are finding it difficult,” he said.
“It’s natural for a horse on the fifth day to feel a bit out of puff. I think if we were back on day two or three we would have been clear. He couldn’t have done much more for me today.”
Reflecting on his first Olympic showjumping experience, Harry said “it’s been absolutely incredible”.
“To finish in the top 30 of the Olympics with the best of the best – it’s my first one on a horse I’ve only known six months. Whatever happened in the other two days, yesterday was a confidence builder and to have got my horse’s confidence back over 1.65m track, I wouldn’t have thought it was possible if you had told me I could do that before,” he said.
“Being around Ben [Maher], Scott [Brash] and Holly has helped me massively. Scott’s been absolutely brilliant, it was such a shame for him that we lost him. He took me under his wing and really helped me through these past few days with everything.”
With the British team sitting on a score of 24, it was decided that Ben and Explosion W would not come forward to jump in the Olympic team showjumping final.
You might also be interested in:
‘Like being in a tumble drier’: Holly Smith jumps first for Britain in Olympic team medal decider
Starting order released for Olympic team showjumping final – find out when the Brits jump for the last medals of the Games
Which nations have qualified for the Olympic jumping team final? Here’s how they did it and what the riders said…
6 key stories from Tokyo Olympics team showjumping qualifier: shock exits, sensational Swedes and strong reaction to the new format
Subscribe to Horse & Hound this spring for great savings
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
