The Swiss show jumping aces can still do it. Steve Guerdat with Dynamix and Martin Fuchs on Leone qualify for Tuesday's individual jumping competition with clear rounds.
Steve Guerdat and Dynamix put everyone's minds at rest. After all, substitute Edouard Schmitz on Gamin had continued the series of unsatisfactory Swiss performances in the royal gardens of Versailles. Schmitz and Gamin, who replaced Pius Schwizer for the team jumping competition, made mistakes at the third fence and at the jump-out of the combination and thus lost all chance of reaching the final of the top 30.
Then came Guerdat. He managed the first Swiss clear round in this Olympic championship. "That felt good," said Guerdat, "confidence is high again now." The last three days have not been easy for the London 2012 Olympic champion. Guerdat: "At a concours, you can take your horse out again the very next day after a failed performance." In Paris, after the completely unsuccessful performance with the team, there was nothing left to do but wait, keep calm and look for solutions.
Martin Fuchs and the gelding Leone followed in the footsteps of Guerdat and Dynamix a good hour later. There was a slight touch at the third obstacle, but the pole remained in place.
What can we expect from the Swiss on Tuesday? Everything starts from scratch again in the final. So even the riders who made it into the top 30 despite a knockdown will start the final without a handicap. Steve Guerdat dreams of becoming Olympic champion again. And everything that has happened so far in Paris could be a good omen for the man from Jura: twelve years ago in London, Pius Schwizer (who was substituted for the individual jumping) fell short of his potential, just as he did in Paris. There was also a huge disappointment with the team: After first place in the first round, Switzerland fell out of the medal ranks in the second round. But in the end, Guerdat, then with Nino, won the gold medal.
