Rio Olympics eventing medals: When and how will the showjumping play out?
Today, on Tuesday 9 August, both the team and individual medals will be decided in the eventing competition at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The first to go will be the nine individual competitors in reverse order of merit, followed by the team riders, also in reverse. The best of the individual competitors is Cheshire-based Chinese rider Alex Hua Tian (pictured, top) and the inexperienced Don Geniro, who lie in 11th place following the completion of the cross-country.
Team riders then jump in reverse order of merit, so the worst-placed rider from the lowest ranking team jumps first, followed by the bottom rider from the penultimate-placed team, and so on — through to the worst rider from the top team. The rotation then restarts. The best placed rider from the leading team is therefore the last person to jump. In this instance that is also the individual overnight leader.
The riders in any teams with fewer than four competitors remaining will ride in the later rotations.
The starting order will only be finalised after the trot-up, which takes place this morning at 8am Brazilian time (midday UK time).
For the Brits, Gemma Tattersall will be the first to jump. She completed the cross-country phase yesterday with a total of 49.6 with Quicklook V for 44th place going into the showjumping.
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Despite picking up 20 jumping penalties on the cross-country course aboard Chilli Morning, William Fox-Pitt is the best of the Brits at this stage, in 22nd with 67.4 penalties.
Pippa Funnell and Billy The Biz are lying in 28th, with the other team member, Kitty King (Ceylor LAN) in 34th.
Medal standings
The Australians are holding team and individual gold positions, spearheaded by Chris Burton on the nine-year-old Sandro Hit son Santano II. Their cracking cross-country round was bang on the optimum time of 10 minutes and 15 seconds.
The New Zealand team is lying in silver position, just 4.5 penalties behind Australia. France lie 6.2 penalties behind them in the bronze medal position.
The first horse into the showjumping arena at 10am Brazilian time (2pm UK time) will be the Puerto Rican Lauren Billys, as she is the lowest ranked individual rider.
The top 25 riders — with a maximum of three from any one nation — then progress on to jump a second round in the afternoon to determine the individual medals. This individual session starts at 2pm Brazilian time (6pm UK time) and combinations carry any penalties accrued in the team showjumping round through to the individual round.
Follow all the action with H&H’s live online interactive text service here.
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