Germany wins team dressage over Netherlands

Germany won the gold medal in Olympic equestrian grand prix dressage Thursday, something they've done every Olympics since 1984. The Netherlands took silver and Denmark the bronze.

Germany won the gold medal in Olympic equestrian grand prix dressage Thursday, something they’ve done every Olympics since 1984. The Netherlands took silver and Denmark the bronze.

Germany’s three riders earned an average of 72.917 percent, followed by the Dutch with 71.750 percent and Denmark with 68.875 percent.

Returning gold medalists Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands and Isabell Werth of Germany renewed their ongoing battle for the top of the podium, this time with van Grunsven earning 74.750 percent on Salinero and Werth topping her with 76.417 percent on Satchmo going into the next battle for individual medals.

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“A lot of people didn’t believe in the German team,” Werth said. “We had to fight. The team is really close and helped each other.”

Van Grunsven said she rode a conservative test on Salinero.

“He got very excited coming in,” van Grunsven said. “I went safe and couldn’t take risks for the team test.”

Andres Helgstrand clinched the bronze for Denmark with a 68.833 percent on Don Schufro, the nation’s first Olympic team dressage medal.

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“We hoped we would be steady with all three rides,” said Helgstrand. “I had hoped for a bit more but had to think about my team for a safe score.”

The issue may have been decided well before the Olympics, with the decision to allow only three riders per team, with all scores to count, instead of the previous four riders, with a drop score.

The U.S. team was an Olympics medal contender, but Debbie McDonald’s Brentina earned a surprisingly low score of 63 percent and dropped the U.S. to fourth with an average of 67.819 percent.

“She started spooking at something on the side of the ring,” McDonald said. “It took me totally by surprise. Midway I knew there was no hope.”

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“I don’t like the three-ride system,” said van Grunsven. “One low score and the team is gone, like with the U.S. With four, it’s more exciting.”

The grand prix test counts not only for the team medals but also as a qualifier for the individual medals. The top 25 riders from the team test will ride a harder course called the grand prix special on Saturday. On Tuesday, they’ll ride a freestyle test to music and choreography of their own choosing to determine the individual medals.

The Olympic equestrian events are being held here because of quarantine restrictions on mainland China.

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