Ben Maher wins show jumping Individual Gold
Great Britains Ben Maher has won the individual gold medal riding a fearless round and jump off on Expolsion W. Showjumping has started at the Tokyo Olympic Games with the individuals running before the team competition.
Ben and Explosion W’s quick round of 37.85 seconds was 17 hundredths of a second faster than swedish rider Peder Fredricson who finished second. Netherlands rider Maikel van der Vleuten finished in bronze place.
Speaking fter winning the gold Ben Maher ‘Normally he is in sync with me, but, just as I got a few strides away, he questioned what I was asking him to do. I felt him just take a breather. He doesn’t do that very often. For a moment there it could have gone very wrong. But he grew wings and hurdled the jump.He is just an intelligent horse, a fun horse to be around and a real athlete. He’s not a normal horse. All the nerves I had today went away when I jumped fence one. Something clicked. He just fills me with confidence.’
Ben Maher retained the indivdual gold medal posititon for Team GB from Nick Skelton who won at the Rio Olympic games in 2016.
Ben Maher’s team mates Harry Charles and Scott Brash failed to make the individual showjumping jump off and now unfortunately Scott Brash’s horse has sustaned a small leg injury and wont be able to compete in the team event.
The Olympic showjumping competitions begins on Friday 6th August and teams GB will now be made up of Ben Maher riding Explosion W, Holly Smith riding Denver and Harry Charles riding Romeo 88.