September 15, 2023 
Paris 2024 is on the line in Spain this month for the U.S. show jumping team.
The Nations Cup Final in Barcelona begins on Thursday, September 28 and is one of two remaining qualification opportunities for the Americans to book their ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Olympic medalists Laura Kraut, Jessica Springsteen and McLain Ward, along with World Equestrian Games team gold medalist Devin Ryan and world no. 63 Karl Cook have been tapped for the task.
While the stakes are high, it’s not the tallest order.
To qualify, the U.S. must be the highest-placed team not already qualified for the Games. Of the 16 nations on the start list for the Nations Cup Final, nine are already qualified for the Paris Games. Those include Switzerland, Ireland, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Australia and Spain.
That means USA must finish ahead of Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Morocco and Eurasia in Barcelona to claim the Paris spot. (Canada did not qualify for the Nations Cup Final.)
Failing that, there’s still one remaining qualification opportunity for the Americans at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, from October 31–November 3 where the top three teams not already qualified will book their tickets to the 2024 Games.
Sweden, Austria, Israel, Poland, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Australia and Japan are already Paris bound.
