After fridays team test where Isabel Werth and Weihegold Old beat the British rider the Gold for today was not all that suer. And since these Rio games are said to be the last performance of "Blueberry"(as Valegro is called in stables) and Dujarding the pair wanted to go out with a bang. And they did!
With a specially adapted freestyle music on Brazilian samba the pair presented a beautiful freestyle that not only blew away the crowd, but also convinced the judges. It was a joy to watch and as a result the it was raining nines and tens for Dujardin and Valegro's "final round" resulting in 93 928%.
“I felt like he’d done his very best and I’m very emotional, particularly because I think he’s going to be retired. But when exactly we have not said yet, but it is in the cards, so we will go home and make a plan for him"
As last combination Germanies Isabel Werth and Weihegold Old also produce an impressive freestyle that was good for the silver medal. In a freestyle that was by all means not easy the piaffes of the Oldenbuger mare we outstanding. A small hick-up in the extended trot towards the end in which the pair recovered to finish as solid as they started having them score just over 89%
The bronze medal also went to Germany with Kristina Bröring-Sprehe, again showing how strong their dressage team is this Olympic year. In the saddle of Desperados FRH the pair rode a solid Kür but had some minor mistakes all over, including a "bad" transition from the passage to walk, having her finish on 87.142%.
As second-to-last combination American Laura Graves and her Dutch bred Verdades just miss out on a medal. Ridiing their freestyle test with a lot of power it all looks very smooth and delicate. However it missed some finesse the judged seemed to be looking and the pair was rewarded with 85.196%.
In fifth place we find the Spanish Severo Jurado Lopez and his Lorenzo. His freestyle consists of beautifully ridden passages and perfect shaped pirouettes, that might have been ridden a bit too fast. The audience clearly was in favor of the combination because when the score of 83 553% (5th place) was announced a loud response of the displeased crowd was heard in the stadium.
Go here to see all the results.
