GERMANY’s Michael Jung has taken the narrowest of leads in the individual eventing competition after going clear inside the time across the country today (Sunday) at the Paris Olympic Games with the 16-year-old gelding Chipmunk.

Jung was one of 10 clears inside the time around Pierre Le Goupil's course at the Chateau de Versailles where 47,000 eventing fans thronged the track and flew their country's flag. Athletes reported back that they had never ridden in an atmosphere like it.

Jung remains on his dressage score of 17.80 and overtook Laura Collett and London 52 who added just 0.80 of a time penalty to her first phase score to lie in silver medal position overnight on 18.30. With not even a single fault separating the pair, it is all to play for in tomorrow’s show jumping phase.

Jung was over the moon when speaking afterwards. “Every jump was easy, Chipmunk was listening and connected with me today. He was so powerful galloping, I checked the time and said, ‘okay slow down, slow down'. It was an unbelievable feeling. I'm so thankful to have to have such a good horse and to be at my fourth Olympic Games. It's a dream, the noise out there was unbelievable.”

Asked about the prospect of winning his third individual Olympic gold medal tomorrow (Monday), Jung said: “At the moment it’s time to enjoy this. It’s a dream today, and tomorrow it’s a new day. I will try to focus and not think too much and go step by step."

Horse of a lifetime

Laura Collett was just two seconds over the time to slip to the individual second place. She was relieved and emotional when she crossed the finish. “That was amazing and London is just my horse of a lifetime. He’s just incredible. I can’t really believe we’ve just done that, to be honest. I’m just relieved that it’s over and I haven’t let anyone down.”

London lost a shoe on course so Collett had to steady in certain spots and she hopes her team will have him re-shod without any hassle this evening.

“I think for me, knowing what he was like as a young horse and knowing how much he’s had to trust me and believe in me – he’s not a natural cross-country horse and then he goes around a course like that, so it just shows what a partnership you can build up and you can make them believe in you,” she explained. “I have full faith in him now, which means I can go and enjoy myself out there.”

‘I am a bit embarrassed’

Hot of the heels of Jung and Collett is Australia’s Chris Burton on a score of 22.0 with Shadow Man. After a spell of three years away from eventing to ride pure show jumping – and helping qualify a team for Paris – Burton returned to show the world that he is still one of the fastest riders the sport has seen. He cruised around to hold on to individual bronze overnight.

The Australian commented: “I am a bit embarrassed, he just did it so easy. I think you could probably make a six-star for him and he could do it. He's a beautiful animal, so thank you to Ben Hobday, he did keep banging on about how good he was, I thought it was a sales pitch! Being able to ride at Paris is a real treat.”

Burton enjoyed his time jumping the biggest Grands Prix in the sport of show jumping, but he does not think it will make his job any easier in the final phase tomorrow. “Eventing is its own sport and show jumping is its own sport. They're different animals and it's a different game so I'm not going to compare them. These animals are beautiful, look what they're out there doing.

“I'm trying not to think about tomorrow, I don't want to get too nervous, hopefully I can do my best!”

Switzerland’s Felix Vogg is just 0.10 of a penalty off the individual bronze medal position, while Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa and the Irish Sport Horse MGH Grafton Street were clear inside the time to sit in fifth place (25.50). Tom McEwen is sitting in sixth with JL Dublin (25.80) – they were the first fast clear of the day – while best of the home riders in seventh is Stephane Landois and Chaman Dumontceau (27.20).

Team standings

There were plenty of upsets in the team competition, none more so than the German team’s competition effectively being ended following a fall for Christophe Wahler at 16abcd, The Viewpoint over the Grand Canal.

With tears in his eyes, Wahler told the media: “I can’t really tell you what happened. He just stepped into the ditch with his hind leg and I got bumped out of the saddle. He was going brilliantly. I wish it wouldn't have happened today but I guess there's not much more to say.”

Britain holds the lead (82.50) but not with as much advantage as they had after dressage, following a 15 penalty flag for Ros Canter. The pair stopped the clock with seven seconds to spare and Britain looked to be miles clear of the chasing pack before Canter was awarded the penalties at fence 21c, The Whimsical Woods.

“I touched a flag coming out of the triple brushes in the woods, but I would never have imagined that I didn’t jump the jump. I didn’t come back and think I’d done anything but go clear inside the time, so hopefully the penalties will be removed,” Canter said afterwards. However, the appeal was dismissed and the penalties remain.

The host nation of France has moved into the silver medal position on 87.20, just 4.7 penalties behind Britain. Japan are in bronze (93.80) after a fantastic day which saw two of their riders come home clear inside the time.

Tough day

Five riders were eliminated while one – Australia’s Kevin McNab – retired. McNab reported that his horse, Don Quidam, had picked up a soft tissue injury on course and he immediately pulled up.

McNab said he felt the horse tweak himself at the fourth last fence. “He landed and drew back a little bit with the right front and that I thought I'll let him travel a minute and just see if there was an awkward landing or if he was sore and I realised quite soon and got off.”

Sarah Ennis' mare Action Lady M also picked up an injury on course and will not compete tomorrow; she will be replaced by Aoife Clark and Sportsfield Freelance.

Among the other upsets was Jonelle Price’s 20 penalties with Hiarado for New Zealand. “I am quite naturally gutted. I think it's my first mistake at a championship, I like to be pretty reliable in this department. And it was really such a silly mistake, it just was one of those moments that I didn't foresee and perhaps she just went a little green in that first sort of two minutes. She will have learned a lot but we don't come to the Olympics to learn, we come to deliver so that was a bit frustrating,” Price said.