EQUESTRIAN: The show jumpers gave Team Ireland a much-needed boost yesterday with clear rounds from both Cian O'Connor and Kevin Babington at a sun-baked Markopoulo equestrian centre that left them well in contention going into tomorrow's two-round team decider.
A total of 18 riders found the key to Olaf Petersen's cleverly-devised track, although only 10 of those came home clear on the clock as well. Both O'Connor and Babington picked up time faults - O'Connor holding his tally to just one for a share of 11th and Babington collecting two for overnight 17th.
The return to form of Kevin Babington's 13-year-old Carling King was particularly impressive as the Clover Hill gelding has had problems with mouth ulcers caused by a new bit Babington used when winning the La Baule Grand Prix in France back in May.
Marion Hughes hit the second part of the rustic double three from home and added two on the clock with the talented stallion Fortunus before Jessica Kurten, last in for the Irish with the mare Castle Forbes Maike, lowered one to slot into equal 19th.
The draw for tomorrow's Nations Cup- style team final takes place at six this evening (4 p.m. Irish time) and chef d'equipe Col Ned Campion will then announce the order for the Irish quartet.
The Americans are looking strongest at this early stage, with three of their riders clear, but yesterday's class was solely for the individual rankings and team medals will be decided on tomorrow's two-rounder only.
Defending champions Germany are particularly keen to claim top spot on the podium having been dramatically stripped of the eventing team and individual gold on Saturday evening.
Following the International Equestrian Federation appeal committee's decision last Wednesday to overrule the judges and remove Bettina Hoy's time penalties, the French, British and American Olympic Committees had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a ruling on the controversy that had seen the Germans demoted and then reinstated to gold. An announcement that the joint appeal had been upheld by CAS was made came the day after a two-and-a-half-hour meeting of the CAS ad hoc committee.
CAS ruled that the FEI appeals committee had no right to overrule the judges' decision that Hoy be given 14 time penalties after crossing the start line twice at the beginning of a clear round that seemed to have clinched team gold for Germany. The time penalties dropped Germany to fourth.
The ruling means means the French have now been promoted to team gold ahead of Britain and America, with Britain's Leslie Law claiming the individual honours. Compatriot Pippa Funnell moves up to take the bronze behind America's Kim Severson.
Hoy was on a flight back to Germany on Saturday when she was called up to the cockpit of the Lufthansa jet and informed of the CAS ruling. Speaking on German television that night she said she felt very bitter about the whole incident. "In over 20 years in the sport there's always been an element of fairness between the riders, but that seems to have gone now," she said.
Individual standings after first leg: =1, USA's Fein Cera ( Wylde), Italy's Albin III (JC Garcia), Denmark's Carnute (T Velin), Sweden's Butterfly Flip (M Baryard), Greece's Gredo la Daviere (A Petris), Sweden's Magic Bengtsson (P Fredericson), New Zealand's Franklins Flyte (G Cashmore), Belgium's Parco (L Philippaerts), USA's Authentic (B Madden) and Netherlands' Montreal (W Schroder). Irish placings: =11 Waterford Crystal (C O'Connor); 17, Carling King (K Babington); =19 Castle Forbes Maike (J Kurten); 42 Fortunus (M Hughes).
