RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – France bounced back from a difficult week to claim its second team title in equestrian at the Rio Games, beating the United States to a gold medal in the show jumping Wednesday.
France’s chances of claiming the title diminished last week when world No. 2 two Simon Delestre had to withdraw from the team after an injury to his horse, Hermes Ryan, in the stables at the Deodoro competition venue.
The team suffered a further blow when Penelope Leprevost fell in Sunday’s first qualifier and was out of individual competition.
“We had really bad luck at the beginning of the week, but I think maybe it helped us to fight more and more,” Kevin Staut said. “Last week, it was unbelievable to think that we might get a medal, and for sure not the gold.
“But we have great players, great horses and we’re really proud of this medal. The most important thing is the team. It’s four riders and we need all four riders to win this medal. I’m really proud to be French, a rider and gold medal.”