‘I tried to the last, but he turned left and I went right’: heartbreak for medal favourite who fell off in Olympic showjumping final
There was a shock in the Paris Olympic showjumping final when one of the favourites, King Edward and Henrik von Eckermann, came unstuck on course.
The individual world champions and Swedish superstars were clear over fence eight, having survived a moment into the Eiffel Tower vertical at seven when the little 14-year-old gelding appeared to take hold after the water at six. But as they swung right towards fence nine, King Edward went too far, nearly running into a timing marker adorned with the red Paris 2024 logo, at the arena fence.
Henrik did his best but could not stay on board.
“Everything felt really well,” he said. “Out of the first double [fence five], he really kicked off the ground and I felt ‘Wow’.
“I just kept myself calm but got a little bit close to the water, got a high jump on that. I didn’t see the six [strides] because I landed a little bit steep on the water so I really had to get him back for the seven and that made a short jump over the Paris jump.
“Then I had to really go for the five and 99% [of the time] we always go right, it’s easy to go right.”
Henrik said he went too much to the right in an attempt to stay with his horse.
“And somehow, in one second, he went a little bit left then I lost my balance to the right,” he said. “And then, I think, he got a little bit upset from that; he felt that I was not really in balance. And he went a little bit left again and I really tried to get him right but then this thing, the start stand, was there and I couldn’t turn him in front of that.
“I tried to the last but I couldn’t and then of course he turned left and I went right.”
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