“Beginner’s luck” isn’t a concept that translates to the 1.65m tracks of Olympic show jumping.
But on Monday, August 5 in Paris, it didn’t seem to hurt.
There, three Olympic first-timers from three nations around the globe earned the unusual distinction of jumping three, consecutive clear rounds at the Paris Games. All will head into the Individual Final on Tuesday, where they’ll face down not only one another, but a field of experienced veterans as well.
Here’s how it all shook out.
Daniel Coyle & Legacy
“Rookie” is hardly the first word that comes to mind when one thinks of Daniel Coyle, 29, a man whose name makes headlines more often than not thanks to his 47 1.60m podium finishes, 27 grands prix wins, and more than $4.6 million in career earnings, according to Jumpr App.
But Coyle’s six-year-long partnership with the 14-year-old Zangersheide mare, Legacy (owned by Coyle and Ariel Grange) has, in large part, been the making of him.
He leaned on that bond today, trusting the mare’s speed and experience to power through the 14-obstacle-track’s trickiest portions—including one particular scope test: a stretch-and-squeeze triple. They finished on a time of 73.64 seconds, the third fastest clear in the field of 74.
Jumping fault-free a whopping 83% of the time in their six rounds together at 1.60m this year, Coyle and Legacy are virtually unmatched for consistency at the championship-level height. They are also one of only three combinations in the world to win two, 5* grands prix so far in 2024. Of these, two remain to compete in the Individual Final: Martin Fuchs (SUI) and Leone Jei and Christian Kukuk and Checker 47 (GER).
Kim Emmen & Imagine
Finishing 9th in the Individual Qualifier today, Kim Emmen was called up by Dutch chef d’équipe Jos Lansink less than a week ago to replace Willem Greve and Grandorado TN N.O.P. In hindsight, they got it right.
Aboard the 11-year-old grey KWPN gelding, Imagine, Emmen delivered three clear rounds—and that’s not all. She’s currently the only rider on the Dutch team who hasn’t dropped a rail, and the only female rider currently ranked in the top-10 going into Tuesday’s Individual Final. That will earn her a plum, end-of-class spot on the startlist thanks to her speedy, 76.33-second finish.
At 29, this is Emmen’s first major championship, and despite being partnered with Imagine for less than a year, she and the gelding have clearly forged a partnership. At 13 rounds so far at 1.60m, they jump clear and finish in the top 10 at 38%. They’re more consistent at the slightly lower 1.55m height, where they’ve completed 18 rounds, 56% of them clear (they finish in the top 10 at the same clip).
Karl Cook & Caracole de La Roque
Last up: The USA’s Karl Cook, who was also called up to replace Kent Farrington and Greya for the Team event four days ago and just hours before the deadline. On Monday, they added a third clear to their resume in the Individual Qualifier, finishing 16th in the rankings on a time of 76.97 seconds.
“Being able to ride for the U.S. team is something you work for your whole life, and it’s really something special. And then, to be able to jump clear, especially when there’s a lot of doubt as to whether I could—doubt because I didn’t in the past, and I had some bad showings—it was such a great moment,” a visibly emotional Cook said during his Walking and Talking series on Instagram.
One of the “showings” Cook is likely referring to is the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. There, he and the uber-talented 12-year-old Selle Français mare Caracole de La Roque struggled to a 34th-place individual finish before rallying to help the American team to gold.
By the same token, in just over a year together, the pair have earned three wins and one 2nd place in *5 competition. They’ve also logged impressive stats, jumping a dozen rounds at 1.60m, where they’re clear at 58%, and also finish in the top 10 88% of the time.
Ironically, one of Cook’s biggest competitors in the Individual Final is likely to be fellow Olympic rookie and Caracole’s former rider, Julien Epaillard. The Frenchman dropped a rail in the Team Final but tops the startlist on a blazing time of 73.07 seconds going into Tuesday.
Can any of our three rookies make it four for four? Tune in tomorrow to find out!
*An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the owner of Legacy. It has been updated.