Riders take full advantage of the opportunity to start Friday’s final jumping rounds with a clean slate creating for a vicious fight for a spot on the podium.
Eric Lamaze of Canada remained the only rider to complete all three qualifying rounds with a clear score heading into Friday’s round while U.S. rider Kent Farrington, Sweedish rider Peder Fredricson, and Dutch rider Maikel Can Der Vleuten tied for a close second with an accumulation of one penalty point. The top 35 riders from Wednesday’s round advanced to Round A with an equal opportunity for individual glory. Ten riders took full advantage of the opportunity and joined Lamaze, Farrington, and Fredricson at the top of the leaderboard, creating a 13-way first place tie.
Nick Skelton, Edwina Tops-Alexander, Jeroen Dubbeldam, Martin Fuchs, Steve Guerdat, Sergio Alvarez Moya, Sheikh Ali Al Thani, Christian Ahlmann, Daniel Deusser, Roger Yves Bost, Kent Farrington, Peder Fredricson, and Eric Lamaze will battle it out in Round B to claim a well-deserved spot on the podium. Lamaze, Farrington, and Fredricson are the top show jumpers to beat, having shown the most dominance thus far in the competition.
Riders with a penalty score of 4 or better will advance to Round B in a fight for individual glory. With the way the competition has been going, there is very little doubt that the finals will end in a jump-off to determine which riders will take home an individual Olympic title.