5 things not to miss as the showjumping kicks off at the Paris Olympics – can anyone halt Swedes’ golden run?

The Olympic dressage is poised for the medal finals in both the team and individual competitions this weekend (3–4 August) at Paris 2024, so for now our attentions turn to Olympic showjumping.

We have the lowdown on the five things you should keep an eye out for as we head into the showjumping phase of the equestrian action tomorrow (1 August).

Olympic dressage day one: key things to watch

1. Which team will qualify for Friday’s final? The Olympic showjumping format means that all 20 teams will jump today. They’ll jump one round against the clock, with time and penalties combined to rank each competitor. The field will then be halved, with just the top 10 teams going through to the final on 2 August. And can anyone stop the all-conquering Swedish team? The reigning team gold medallists in Olympic, World and European Championships are the ones to beat.

2. Look out for the Brits! Can the team regain the title they last won at London 2012? Ben Maher (now riding his reserve horse Dallas Vegas De Batilly), Scott Brash (Jefferson) and Harry Charles (Romeo 88) are named in the trio, with Joe Stockdale (Cacharel) ready to step in if called upon. The Brits are drawn fifth of the 20 nations fielding a team.

3. Our first sighting of the incomparable King Edward in Versailles. Superlatives have been exhausted for this longstanding world number one, who is the standout horse of his generation. In Tokyo 2020, he was the only horse to complete the competition without incurring a single fault, yet finished just out of the individual medals. He is the reigning World Cup champion (again without a single fault) and ridden by the maestro that is Henrik von Eckermann. Look out for his tack – Henrik frequently tinkers with it so his champion feels absolutely perfect. There may be no browband, a new noseband, a fly net – whatever makes this wonder-horse tick.

4. The return of the reigning Olympic champion. Three years ago, Ben Maher kept the Swedes at bay to land the individual title with Explosion W. He returns this year, but with a new ride, Dallas Vegas Batilly. This 11-year-old mare is by Cap Kennedy 2, out of a L’Arc De Triomphe mare, and Ben has been riding her for two years. He describes her as “a real championship, big-time horse for the future”, and the pair finished sixth at the World Cup Final in April.

5. The Olympic fences. The tracks will be designed by Spaniard Santiago Varela and Frenchman Gregory Bodo. If the eventing showjumping course is anything to go by, we are in for a feast. Look out for the themed fences, including the bunch of grapes, a nod to France’s viniculture.

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