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Last-minute team substitution ahead of the cross-country in the eventing at the Tokyo Olympics


  • A last-minute substitution has been made before the cross-country phase of the eventing at the Tokyo Games.

    Sweden’s Ludwig Svennerstal and Balham Mist have been substituted for Sara Algotsson Ostholt and Chicuelo, owing to Balham Mist suffering a minor injury. The change will incur 20 penalties to the team score.

    Ludwig was lying on a score of 35.0 after the dressage, and the team sat in fifth. The injury will come as a blow to Ludwig who following his test said dressage was not the 14-year-old gelding’s “strongest suit” but he had higher hopes for the other phases. His dressage score will still apply to the team score.

    Sara, 47, and 10-year-old gelding Chicuelo will not be eligible to compete for an individual medal but their score will count towards Sweden’s final placing. Sara was part of Sweden’s team in Rio 2016 on Reality 19, but Tokyo is Chicuelo’s Olympic debut. The pair took 15th place at the CCI4*-S at Luhmühlen, Germany, in June.

    Sara joins Louise Romeike and Cato 60, and Therese Viklund on Viscera in teh Swedish team.

    Yesterday Belgium’s individual Olympic combination Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and the 15-year-old gelding Alpaga D’Arville withdrew after the dressage owing to a minor horse injury.

    The pair had scored 37.2, and Lara described making her Games debut after a busy and successful career with this horse as “the cherry on the cake”.

    Neither Ludwig or Lara will be eligible to continue to the showjumping phase of the competition.

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