November 1, 2023 
“It was extremely nerve racking this whole day,” said a relieved Laura Kraut after USA clinched the team gold medal and Paris 2024 qualification at the Pan American Games on Wednesday.
“I think, you know, we had a very good first round performance, but still, it could all go away [in the second round]. Two mediocre rounds would have lost it for us. So, for me, I was so relieved when the three before me went clear. I almost enjoyed the last round.”
Then she added, “Unlike yesterday.”
Team USA had every reason to be nervous. Santiago 2023 is the final qualifying opportunity for the Paris Olympics and the team was sitting in fifth behind Brazil, Colombia, Canada and Argentina after a lacklustre start in Tuesday’s team competition that saw only Kraut go clear.
In the first of two team rounds on Wednesday Brazil held onto their lead, but barely. A clear and a pair of four fault performances put them on a team score of 12.32, while USA’s McLain Ward, Kent Farrington and Kraut all delivered clears to keep the their team total on 12.37.
Hot on their heels, and just over a rail behind, was Canada on 17.62 and Mexico on 18.58.
But as Kraut pointed out, a lot can change in round two and it did.
A clear from Brazil’s Pedro Veniss and Nimrod de Muze Z put the pressure on. The wheels came off for teammate Marlon Modolo Zanotelli and Deessee de Coquerie, however. Leaders after Tuesday’s speed round, the pair collected 21 faults in the first round on Wednesday and retired after three rails and a refusal into the triple combination in the second round.
Stephan de Freitas Barcha’s double clear kept the Brazilians in the hunt. But nothing but perfection would do as USA and Canada kept the clear rounds coming. All four Americans jumped clear in the second round as did Canada’s Tiffany Foster, Amy Millar and Beth Underhill, adding no points to their team scores.
It all came down to Brazilian anchor Rodrigo Pessoa, the final rider on course. A clear would mean gold. Anything less would cost them a podium position. Alas, Brazil’s hopes evaporated with a rail at fence two, handing victory to the Americans. Another at the penultimate fence slid Canada into silver.
If it sounded nerve wracking, it was.
“The last two or three, we keep seeing a higher and higher level of competition [at the Pan American Games],” said U.S. chef d’euipe, Robert Ridland. “I think everybody saw that today. These are really strong teams out there fighting to the end. But it’s a big tribute to what the Pan American Games have become.”
Ward sits atop the individual leaderboard heading into Friday’s final medal round, followed by Kraut with Dorado 212 and De Freitas Barcha with Chevaux Primavera Imperio Egipcio. But Ward isn’t thinking about that just yet.
“As everybody knows, our goal is to qualify for the [Paris] Games and to win a medal here as a team, represent our country well. I thought the team rallied well and pulled it off with a pretty good style today,” he said.
“I think once we get through this [week], the fact that it took us so long to qualify needs to bring it to our attention that we can’t rest on a good week here, that we have to do some work to be done to be prepared for Paris and to go against the world’s best. So we need to find motivation.”
Three Olympic team qualification spots were on offer at Santiago 2023. Brazil already booked their ticket at the FEI Nations Cup Final last month. USA, Canada and fourth place finishing Mexico are now confirmed for the Paris Games.
Equestrian at Santiago 2023 wraps on Friday with the individual medal final. Catch all the action on FEI TV.
