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Who is going to win the Olympic eventing medals in Tokyo?


  • The new format means anything could happen, but Britain should be strong, says H&H eventing editor Pippa Roome

    THIS is the most unpredictable Olympic eventing contest of our time, for two reasons.

    The first is Covid-19, which has meant that riders’ competition patterns have been disturbed, horses have had a quiet time and most people have stayed national for events, so we haven’t seen pairs from different countries head-to-head as much as usual. There are notably more older horses at these Games and fewer younger ones; not many people have had the opportunity to push a fast-developing nine-year-old on to Tokyo.

    The second is the new Olympic eventing format, which pits teams of three against one another with all to count, accompanied by a raft of confusing substitution rules. One mistake will take a team down and it’s very possible that three mediocre performances will propel a surprising nation to the podium, while one of the big guns steps aside because their two excellent scores are marred by a slip-up from the third pair.

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    For more key stats, plus other riders to look out for, don’t miss Horse & Hound’s ultimate guide to Tokyo, on sale Thursday 15 July

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