Equestrian at Rio 2016 is set to be very different to previous years, there will be 43 flags flying for the equestrian family and five countries are entering representatives for the first time ever.
Four years ago Great Britain were certainly the team to beat but at home games, this is really no surprise, so who should you be looking out for this year?
Charlotte Dujardin
After a perfect finish in 2012 with double gold in the dressage, she’s once again pairing with the unstoppable Valegro to challenge for the same result in Rio before his retirement after the 2016 games.
Scott Brash
Another Brit in the mix is Scott Brash, who was well on course for Britain’s first ever individual show jumping gold in 2012 before a fallen fence put an end to his dream.
He did however go on to win team gold and has since made history by winning the Rolex Grand Slam. This year he’s determined to right the wrongs of 2012 and was recently named as one of the ten team GB gold medal hopefuls to watch in 2016.
Edwina Tops-Alexander
Australia have a glittering Olympic equestrian history but failed to bring home any medals in when the games arrived in London four years ago. With the whole team hoping to get back to winning ways, Edwina Tops-Alexander has a number of accolades to her name and is one of the first team members to be selected for showjumping with the rest expected to be announced at the beginning of July.
Steffen Peters
In the mix for the US dressage team is three-time Olympian Steffen Peters. Determined to improve on his bronze medal haul of past Olympics and international competitions, he’ll be riding Legolas and his successor Rosamunde – a very young horse already performing at the top level.
Guenter Seidel
Another three-time Olympian, Seidel has competed and won medals on the same team as Steffen Peters many times before. Also looking to upgrade from bronze, he will be riding Zero Gravity in Rio’s dressage event.
Luciana Diniz
Currently ranked 13th on the FEI Rolex Ranking List, Diniz is, at the moment, the only individual representative of Portugal in the showjumping event. However, being born in Brazil, this games means more to her than most. Hoping to improve on her seventh place finish in London, Rio offers the perfect opportunity.
So there you have it, our six ‘ones to watch’ equestrians of the Rio 2016 Olympics. ☺
How exciting for the five countries that have first time entries!