If you were in the mood for a heaping serving of heartbreak with your morning coffee, there was plenty of it to be had in Paris on Tuesday.
The jumping individual final saw the top 30 return to vie for the podium—and 27 ride away in disappointment. For the day’s top contenders, it was the abject variety.
World no 1. Henrik von Eckermann fell off and not at a fence—he changed his mind at the last minute after the water and managed to clear the next two fences but was then pitched into the timers mid-course.
Martin Fuchs lost his stirrup early on and, in echoes of his 2023 CPCK International win at Spruce Meadows, was tracking for a clear. But then faulted at the final oxer.
The three Olympic rookies that jumped three clear rounds ahead of Tuesday’s medal round—Karl Cook (USA), Kim Emmen (NED) and Daniel Coyle (IRL)—all picked up multiple rails. And Julien Epaillard and Dubai du Cedre, France’s best hope and the final pair in the ring, toed a rail third fence from home.
Among the list of riders leaving the ring in regret is USA’s Laura Kraut.
Fifth in the order, Kraut and 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding Baloutinue were jumping clear, but worried about making the time, picked up the pace to after the second last. Unable to get her horse’s right shoulder in balance, the pair fell victim to the final fence on course, a square, 1.62m high and 1.35m wide oxer.
Five more pairs would meet the same fate.
“Heartbreaking, yes. It was,” said Kraut. “My horse was just absolutely on it today. He didn’t deserve that.
“Darn if he didn’t try to clear it. I mean, he did everything in his power to not have it down, but pure rider error there, for sure, which I’m gutted about,” she continued.
Despite the unfortunate finish, Kraut was quick to put her day, and Games, in perspective.
“But, I can’t ask more of him and he’s going to be relieved he gets to go home. He could live without a jump off,” she added ruefully.
“At least, on this one, I can blame it all on me, and, you know, I can work on me when I know I have a powerhouse like him underneath me. I’d rather that than have a horse that’s just short of talent. So I’m a lucky girl.”
At 58, Kraut is a three-time Olympic medalist. She was part of the gold medal winning team in Beijing in 2008. At the last two Olympic Games, she set the record for oldest female athlete to win a medal for the USA, taking team silver in Tokyo and Paris.
With age perhaps comes wisdom.
“Listen, every Olympic experience for me has been incredible,” she said.
“Every time we go, it is a magical experience and, for me, the last three times I have brought medals home. I mean, how much better can I get? I get chills when I talk about it.
“So I think I’m very disappointed in myself because I really wanted an individual [medal] and I knew I had a horse that was fast enough to do it. I made a mistake. Not a lot I can do about it now. But my takeaway from this is I’m just very blessed and grateful to have had this experience.”
Spoken like a champion.