A rather uncharacteristic turn for Foster in the first round with the stallion that contributed to Team Gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London with Ben Maher. “I made a mistake coming out of the double, it was purely a rider error and nothing to do with him [Tripple X III]. I told the guys that if they kept us in the game, I would go clear; at least I delivered!” said Foster, who will celebrate her 31st birthday tomorrow ahead of the Individual Final. “It means everything to win the gold medal. I’ve never won a gold medal. I’ve never even done a Pan American Games. It’s incredible. Our team is the best!” Yann Candele and Ian Millar held firm for Canada in the first round, jumping clear and picking up a single time fault each. This allowed Canada to keep the lead well in their sights, as Argentina and Colombia truly impressed in the first round.
As for winning in front of a home crowd, Candele said, “To win in front of a home crowd is more special, but winning a gold medal is always a special moment; it doesn’t matter where it is!”
But as we all know, a lot can happen in two rounds of a Nations Cup format, and this year’s Team Final of the Pan American Games was no different. Argentina continued to fight for a podium position, seeing a terrific clear from Ramiro Quintana and Whitney in the second round.
Overall a great day for Canada, taking home gold on home soil as well as qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Team USA performed incredibly well in the second round, being the only team to deliver four back-to-back clears but alas, their efforts were not enough to make up for their first round faults. No doubt there will be a few from Team USA looking to make big movements in Saturday’s Individual Final. However, with Brazil’s Eduardo Menezes leading the pack individually with only a single time fault over three rounds and Canada’s Yann Candele along with Argentina’s Jose Larocca only sitting on two time faults over three rounds, hot-shot favorites such as Millar will have to deliver nothing less than a flawless clear on Saturday.