With a tremble in his voice, Henrik von Eckermann tries to explain what happened on the Olympic Games show jumping course in Versailles when King Edward suddenly stopped at the two mascots indicating the start and he fell off.
I lose my rhythm and have to chase, I had so much forward momentum and it's something that makes him go a bit to the left and I lose my balance to the right. But then there are those entrances for the start and finish line, says the Swede.
Result-wise, this is probably the worst that has happened.
Von Eckermann looked shocked after the incident, but quickly got back on his feet and went over to his horse.
Henrik von Eckermann was beforehand one of the favorites to compete for the gold. Instead, he experienced one of the worst nightmares of his career.
No Revenge in 2028
And there will be no revenge with King Edward in Los Angeles 2028. When asked if it was the last day together, von Eckermann replies:
It was definitely.
The German Christian Kukuk, the Dutchman Maikel van der Vleuten, and the Swiss Steve Guerdat were the only three faultless riders who competed for the medals in the jump-off.
Kukuk, on the horse Checker 47, won after a new faultless round. Guerdat took the silver together with Dynamix de Belheme, after four faults. He was 34 hundredths of a second faster than van der Vleuten, who with Beuville Z also had four faults and thus got the bronze.
The course designer's design when it came to the triple combination was extremely complicated. The obstacle series was only just over 30 meters long, with two initial oxers and a final single obstacle.
It doesn't get much harder, but no one has claimed that an Olympic Games final should be easy.
The World Number Two Also Out
The triple combination was supposed to represent Metron, the Paris subway. Many riders didn't find the right line or simply missed the train.
But difficulties lurked here and there.
The world number two Ben Maher, the Brit who in Tokyo snatched the individual gold from Peder Fredricson, got an early elimination and was out.
He was not alone in that. One by one, top riders like Laura Kraut, Simon Delestre, and Max Kühner disappeared.
