The Dutch team faced a tense moment as they narrowly missed out on the team bronze medal. Despite a flawless round from Kim Emmen and Imagine, the Dutch team missed the bronze by approximately half a second. Representing the United States, Ilex delivered a beautiful clear round, securing the son of Baltic VDL a bronze medal. Meanwhile, competing under the French flag, I.Amelusina R 51 contributed to winning team bronze. The British team took home the gold.

Ilex Secures Team Silver Bred by Gijs Maris from Berg en Dal, Ilex (Baltic VDL out of Calendula by Chin Chin) showcased his qualities in the team final, helping Mclain Ward earn his fifth Olympic team medal across six Olympic Games. "Ilex is an incredible athlete. It makes everything easier when you know your horse can clear the jumps with such ease—it gives you a lot of confidence."

Team Bronze for I.Amelusina R 51
The three time faults by I.Amelusina R 51 (Dexter R out of B.Amelusina R22 by Chin Chin, bred by Stal Roelofs from Den Ham) did not prevent France from winning team bronze on home soil. "Despite the time faults, I’m happy with my round. I must say that this course is one of the most challenging we've seen this year, but that’s part of the Olympics. Everything is in it, and that makes it very exciting," said rider Simon Delestre, who is competing in his third Olympics in Paris.

An Emotional Moment
For Kim Emmen, it was an emotional moment when she exited the course with Imagine (Cassini Gold out of Nigel by Lord Z, bred by C. Viscaal from Albergen). Despite missing the team medal, Emmen experienced a dream debut with two clear rounds. "After walking the course, I watched a few combinations before finalizing my plan. Imagine did great, and I'm very happy I got the chance and, as a reserve, rode two double clears. It’s emotionally charged for me because of the story behind Imagine. René Viscaal, Imagine's breeder, was best friends with my employer Eric Berkhof, and when René unexpectedly passed away last year, Eric became the owner of Imagine. I'm very pleased with this performance." Read Kim Emmen’s full reaction.

Two Jumping Faults for Ermitage Kalone
The KWPN-approved Ermitage Kalone (Catoki out of Bellaventure Kalone, bred by M. Dessalles) had an impressive clear round in the qualifiers but made two jumping faults in the team final. "During the warm-up, I could already feel he was a bit less fresh. Apparently, the qualifiers took a lot out of him. I could tell that the tank was running empty," said rider Gilles Thomas.

Too Many Faults for Galaxy HM
Representing Israel, Robin Muhr and Galaxy HM (Quality Time out of Cleopatra by Crawford, bred by H.R.J. Mentink from Zelhem) had three jumping faults and a time penalty.

Results

Source: KWPN
Photo of Ilex: Dirk Caremans