Clear failure

Austria’s show jumpers not in the team final!

Katharina Rhomberg with Colestus Cambridge(Bild: GEPA)

Austria's show jumping team missed out on the place they were aiming for in the Olympic final! Katharina Rhomberg, Gerfried Puck and Max Kühner finished in 13th place, clearly missing out on qualification for the top ten teams. 28 faults were two drops too many - 20 faults were enough for the final. Germany was the only team to remain completely fault-free - while the Swiss, who were among the favorites, also dropped out of the competition in eleventh place.

Austria's first Olympic show jumping team since Atlanta 1996 in Paris had started with a lot of optimism. "Every one of us dreams of a medal," said Katharina Rhomberg before the competition. "If we don't dream of it, we're wrong for the Olympics." The dream was almost over after her ride. Austria had drawn starting number 2 out of the 20 teams competing. Austria's starting rider Rhomberg picked up 16 faults on the demanding course and only finished in 18th place in the intermediate classification.

"We were a bit unlucky with the starting order!"
Afterwards, the 31-year-old from Vorarlberg was unhappy with the draw: "We were a bit unlucky with the starting order. We couldn't look at any riders beforehand, which otherwise makes things a lot easier. My horse was pretty impressed by the jumps and the scenery - which we didn't really expect." Whether the last-minute decision for her less experienced horse Colestus Cambridge was the right one, "is difficult to say in hindsight. We made the decision as a team and we have to stand by it. It could just as easily have gone wrong with another horse."

Gerfried Puck with Equitron Naxcel V(Bild: GEPA)

"For me, it was good preparation for the individual!"
Gerfried Puck, at 51 the senior member of the ÖOC team, made faults with Equitron Naxcel V at the ditch and in the middle obstacle of the difficult triple combination and therefore collected eight faults: "I was actually very happy, he jumped super. It was good preparation for the individual for me." That is now the focus - the absence from the team final means they now have an extra day's break. Whether they will ride with the same line-up on Monday in Versailles will probably still be discussed within the team, Puck hinted. Replacement rider Christoph Obernauer could start in the individual ...

"We gave it our best shot!"
Puck was really looking forward to his first Olympic Games - and of course he was "enjoying it" today in front of this impressive backdrop, he said. "But maybe it won't be my last Olympic Games. I may be the oldest among the Austrians, but I'm far from being the oldest among the other riders," said the 51-year-old, who improved the team to 14th place in the intermediate rankings.

Max Kühner with Elektric Blue(Bild: GEPA)

In the end, it was 13th place, as Max Kühner was also the last to go clear with Elektric Blue and had a knockdown. "We did our best. We'll keep fighting in the individual final," he said afterwards. "But it's definitely a disappointment."