British dressage riders’ times and team starting order in Rio — plus how to follow
The British dressage team has been drawn sixth of the 11 teams in contention at the Rio Olympics.
The order of go has also been announced. Chef d’equipe Richard Waygood has chosen Spencer Wilton (on his own and Jen Goodman’s Super Nova II) as the pathfinder, with Fiona Bigwood (on Orthilia, owned by Penny Bigwood and Neils and Lis Dahl) as the second rider. These two will compete on the first day of team dressage.
Carl Hester (on his own and Jane De La Mare’s Nip Tuck) and Charlotte Dujardin (on Valegro, owned by Rowena Luard, Anne Barrott and Carl Hester) with both ride on day two of the grand prix (Thursday, 11 August).
The times for the two riders on Wednesday are:
Spencer Wilton: 11.18am (3:18pm UK time)
Fiona Bigwood: 3.06 (7.06 UK time)
The times for the two riders on Thursday are:
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Carl Hester 11:27am (3:27pm UK time)
Charlotte Dujardin 2.24 (6:18pm UK time)
Should disaster strike, travelling reserve Lara Griffith (Rubin Al Asad) can be swapped in up until 8am Brazilian time tomorrow (midday in the UK).
Continued below…
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Results from both the grand prix and the grand prix special on Friday count towards the team medal results, while the individual freestyle, which takes place on Monday 15 August, is a stand-alone class, with all riders’ results slates wiped clean.
The dressage will be available on the BBC red button service, and H&H will be running a live and interactive online blog with former Olympic rider Emile Faurie giving input on every test.
The British team will be defending the gold medal they won at the London 2012 Olympics, and Charlotte will be bidding to retain her Olympics title with Valegro. They are the only British pairing to compete at both Games: Carl rode Uthopia in London and the other two British riders in Rio are making their Olympic debuts.
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