HOT favourite Ben Maher won the individual gold medal in show jumping in spectacular style at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with Explosion W. The four-time Olympian adds it to his team gold medal from London in 2012 and it is Britain’s second individual gold medal in-a-row following Nick Skelton’s 2016 Rio title.

Just as he was five years ago in Rio, Sweden’s Peder Fredricson was beaten by a Briton into the silver medal position with All In. The 15-year-old Kashmir van Schuttershof gelding became the first horse in almost 100 years to win two individual jumping medals. Bronze went to The Netherlands’ Maikel van der Vleuten, who has a silver team medal from London 2012, with Beauville Z.

“It doesn’t seem real. I think it will sink in tonight or tomorrow when I wake up,” Maher said afterwards. “It’s been a lot of pressure the last couple of weeks. I may be biased but I believe I am on the best horse, he’s incredible and I’m very fortunate to be able to ride him.

“[The owners] kept him for me for this, and with that comes pressure … people expect, and little comments that normally I don’t pick up on were kind of sitting in the back of my mind all the time. It’s finally happened, so I’m just very happy and relieved that it’s done and I’ll just try and enjoy every moment of it now.”

The incredible 11-year-old gelding by Chacco-Blue is owned by Pamela Wright and Charlotte Rossetter, who purchased him from Emily Moffitt’s Poden Farms in 2019 in order to go to Tokyo.

Competitive

They were the fastest of 25 clears in Tuesday’s individual qualifier to have the best draw of the lot in the final, and they made best use of it when becoming one of just six clear rounds over Santiago Varela’s huge track which tested every inch of scope and talent in 31-degree heat.

Among the six to join Maher in the jump-off was the entire Swedish team of Fredricson, Henrik von Eckermann and Malin-Bayard Johnsson, van der Vleuten and Japan’s Daisuke Fukushima. Two riders – Ireland’s Cian O’Connor and Britain’s Scott Brash – finished on a single time fault to place joint-seventh.

Remarkably, all six went clear again against the clock, and fourth into the arena, Maher and Explosion W set a blistering time of 37.85 seconds, the only pair to break the 37-second mark. Fredricson and All In crossed the line in 38.02 before last to go, van der Vleuten came home in 38.90 seconds to snatch bronze from von Eckermann (King Edward) who had to settle for fourth place.

Baryard-Johnsson was fifth with Indiana (40.76), while the home nation’s Fukushima, with one of the classiest horses of the night in Chanyon, finished sixth (43.76).

Wedding bells

“I don’t know what was more pressure, this or getting married in two weeks!” the newly crowned Olympic champion told the press and there were tearful scenes of him on the phone to his wife-to-be Sophie Gracida after winning the gold.

“All the nerves that I had coming from the hotel today and the things going on in my mind, actually when I get to the gate and I go in, it all goes away. He just fills me with confidence. I just really enjoying riding him and hopefully it lasts a long time.”

Maher thanked his groom, Irishman Cormac Kenny, among many others. “There are so many people I owe this to in the end … vets, farriers that have been with me for 15 years, my team back home, Cormac Kenny who is my groom. He came to me from Ireland when he was 16 and he grew up with me and he’s here to be a huge part of this moment. My family, my fiancée Sophie, so many people. I’m looking forward to getting home and having a great celebration!” said Maher, who had a back operation in January 2020.

Ben Maher shows off his gold medal \ Tomas Holcbecher

Second silver

Fredricson’s second silver in five years wasn’t the target, but he was lucky to get 15-year-old All In, the 2017 European champion, to Tokyo after an injury had him out of work for 18 months. “All the top riders want to take the gold medal but today it was Ben’s day, he did a great round and that’s the way it goes, it’s really small margins.

“I always had it in mind to have him in top shape here but we were running a bit late with Covid and then the horse virus, and I was running out of time to get him the last bit of competition fit. I would say he just came into a peak when he came here.”

He added: “When it’s really tough he really delivers, he’s so naturally careful. He’s a funny character, lazy combined with really strong flight sense, he has lot of personality for a small horse but that doesn’t matter when he jumps like this!”

Sweden's Peder Fredricson and All In won the silver medal, repeating their Olympic result from Rio 2016 \ Tomas Holcbecher

Van der Vleuten was not expecting to be on the individual podium so was over the moon with the result. “It’s amazing because I came here with no expectations! I have quite an inexperienced horse at championship level and as we all saw yesterday there is an extremely strong field. I was trying to go for it without overdoing him and it worked out well.”

Seventh for Cian O’Connor

London 2012 bronze medallist Cian O’Connor was best of the Irish in joint seventh place with Kilkenny (Cardento x Guidam) – owned by Sue Magnier and bred by Sinead Brennan at Mill House Stud in Co Kilkenny – after finishing on a single time fault. They subsequently withdrew from team competition due to a nose bleed (see page 90).

Bertram Allen finished 15th overall after picking up eight faults with Aiden McGrory’s nine-year-old gelding Pacino Amiro (Pacino x NC Amiro), bred by Simon Scott. The pair got a difficult stride to the big treble combination and knocked the first part. They also knocked the Mount Fuji vertical three from home.

Darragh Kenny was second last into the arena with Heathfarm Farm’s VDL Cartello but was out of luck when picking up eight faults, first at the second part of the double and at the verticle following the open water, to place 17th in the final.

Quotes

Maikel van der Vleuten after winning bronze: “I think the first two combinations (Maher and Fredricson) many people would have thought they had a big chance, they have so much experience and are fantastic riders so to be third with this horse at this level is a little bit like gold for me!”

Bertram Allen after eight faults with Pacino Amiro: “I was getting there a bit close. I tried to get him back to me. He’s a big horse, maybe not just as rideable as he needs to be, but that comes with the territory of being only a nine-year-old.”

Darragh Kenny after eight faults with VDL Cartello: “I thought my horse jumped well, it was a very tough course. I made a little mistake coming out of the double and I paid for it. Then, I was trying to be a quick four-faulter and I had one more down with the horse.

"The horse jumped really well, I just needed to ride it a little bit better today…. He feels good after that round. We’ll just freshen him up a little bit now for Friday and Saturday.”