Team GB win ninth gold of Olympics in dramatic fashion with team showjumping triumph
Team GB won their ninth gold medal of the Olympics in the team showjumping event.
Team GB produced a brilliant display under the greatest pressure to win their ninth gold medal of the Olympics in the team showjumping final. Ben Maher, Harry Charles and Scott Brash emerged victorious in dramatic fashion to edge out the United States at the top of the standings.
Maher, on Dallas Vegas Batilly, was first up for Team GB and made a near-flawless start as he cleared every single fence without a hitch. Charles, on Romeo 88, followed up with a dazzling run under immense pressure without picking up any penalties.
It left Brash needing to jump a clear final round to strike gold for Team GB and he did exactly that, successfully guiding Jefferson over every obstacle to claim a stunning triumph. His incredible run saw Britain win the gold medal for the first time since 2012 despite Germany being the pre-event favourites.
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BBC pundit Andy Austin could hardly contain his delight, saying: "We didn't really see this coming this week. We thought the Germans were invincible. We didn't think we could do this.
"An unbelievable result for us British, it's incredible the way they've all ridden. Harry Charles, I've got to give him some special praise. How he got down the combination today I don't know. We expect it from the two older hands but Harry was brilliant.
"Ben Maher does what he always does, he delivers, and today was no exception. He set the tone, pure class, total professional, just another day at the office for him.
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"For me, I'm so excited for Harry Charles. His dad was on the gold medal winning team in London, which I was lucky enough to witness and commentate on. He rode absolutely brilliantly today. His horse struggled a bit down the combination but that's one of the best bits of riding I've seen in a long time."
The result marked Britain's ninth gold medal of the Games and saw them climb to third place in the medal table, behind only the United States and leaders China. It came just hours after gymnast Bryony Page won gold with an unstoppable performance in the women's trampoline final.
Earlier on Friday, rowing duo Emily Craig and Imogen Grant triumphed for Team GB in the women's lightweight double sculls final. They were somewhat slow to start but took the lead at the 400 metre mark and never looked back as they cruised to a routine victory.