“The Wall Street Journal’s” special report “Who’s going to win” at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, scheduled to start on July 27, projects that “the U.S. will win–and win big”: a total of 108 medals. America will out perform its competitors by capturing 40 Gold medals.
Is the Journal’s enthusiasm boosterism? That remains to be seen.
Will Dressage be one of those medals? Ann Romney will be on hand for the equestrian events: her horse Rafalca is entered in the equestrian competition.
[Photo: Dressage-news.com]
Since she is the wife of the Republican nominee for the White House, and since she credits horse backing riding for the remission of her multiple sclerosis, the media–domestic and foreign–will pay more attention to a sport that in the past usually takes second place at Olympic games.
And yet, statistically speaking, America has done herself proud at Summer games in eventing, jumping and dressage since the Olympics began in 1896, ranking fifth in Olympic medalists in equestrian, with 11 Gold, 20 Silver and 18 Bronze.
According to “Dressage Daily,” the American equestrian team of two men and two women–Steffen Peters, Jan Ebeling, Adrienne Lyle and Tina Konyot–are ready to ride and win.
The US Four locked in slots on the dressage team as a result of four competitions: two Grand Prix and two Olympic Grand Prix Specials, each accounting 25 percent of the total score.
Here is how rider and horse ranked: Peters riding Legolas scored 77.653 percent; Konyot on Calecto V had 76.873 percent; Ebeling on Rafalca received 73.169 percent; and lastly, Lyle on Wizard with 72.558 percent. In all, more than respectable performances for rider and horse.
No stranger to the Olympics. Peters, 48, won a Bronze at Atlanta in 1964. Lyle, 27,placed fourth at Beijing in 2008. Konyot, 53, after first watching Dressage at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, found her place on the 2012 team. Ebeling, 53, on the other hand, like his other team mates has won honors in equestrian events in the US and Europe. Collectively, the US equestrian team appear strong competitors in the four slots for individual eventing, 5 in team jumping and 4 in total dressage. (Only the strong German and British teams have signed up for the same total of 13 in three categories.)
As for the US team jumpers, Elizabeth “Breezie” Madden, 49, on Via Volo, won the Gold for team jumping twice–Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. McLain Ward, 37, on Antares F, also an Athens Gold for team jumping. Equestrian Rich Fellers, 52, riding Flexible, has a long and successful career in individual and team jumping. And then there are Charlie Jayne, 44, with RZ, short listed for the games in Beijing and Reed Kessler, 18, jumping with Cylana, is the youngest female show jump ever to participate in the Summer games.
Lasting rounding out the American equestrians for eventing are: well-seansoned Will Coleman, 29, on Twizzel; champion Tiana Coudary, 21, riding Ringwood Magister; Australian-born, 12 times leading rider, Phillip Dutton, 49, on Mystery Whisper, has been participating in the Olympics since 1996, but only twice for the US at Beijing and now London; Australian native Boyd Martin, 33, winner of many competitions, will be eventing on Otis Barbotiere; and lastly, veteran eventer, Karen O’Connor, 54, on Mr. Endicott, is the oldest member of Team USA’s equestrian team.
All in all, Team USA equestrian, well balanced in age and experience, appear formidable competitors in eventing, jumping and dressage at the 2012 London Summer games.
Eventing preliminaries are scheduled on July 28 and 29 at 10 a.m. (GMT) and cross-country on July 30 at 7:30 a.m. The medal rounds will take place for dressage (group) on August 7 at 5 a.m.; for individual jumping on August 8 at 5 a.m.; and finally, on August 9, for individual dressage at 7:30 a.m.
In spite of the unusually wet summer in England, punters are trimming odds for the US’ defending the Gold in team jumping; have a soft eye on Peters for individual dressage, yet remain cautious on who to pick for eventing.
Nonetheless, despite the American equestrians strengths, the cameras will surely be zoomed on Ann Romney and her entry Rafalca. She brings to the London games a strong bond to the Olympics since her husband and Republican hopeful for the presidency Mitt presided over the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City more than a decade ago.
Were Rafalca to nab the Gold, some might be tempted to read into that honor a hopeful sign than in January 2013 Ann Romney might be the hostess at the White House as the wife of America’s 45th president.
