Germany’s Dorothee Schneider and horse Showtime exhibited a phenomenal performance in day one of the Grand Prix round. The duo left London unsatisfied with a team silver medal and are looking to redeem themselves in Rio. Schenider sits at the top of the leaderboard with an 80.986 percent dressage score.
Schenider’s teammate, Sonke Rothenberger and horse Cosmo are eager to bring home a title from their Olympic debut. The duo continues to make impressive strides towards becoming top dressage contenders with only a year of Grand Prix experience under their belts. Rothenberger and Cosmo have combined dressage with their original love, jumping.
Great Britain’s Fiona Bigwood and horse Orthilia deliver a beautiful dressage performance on day one of the Grand Prix round, landing the duo a No.3 spot on the leaderboard.Bigwood’s drive and determination is a force that shouldn’t be underestimated. The rider considered selling all of her horses and ending her carreer in 2014 aftera traumatic horse accident left her suffering with a hairline fracture in the skull and double vision. Bigwood returned to the saddle after an extended amount of time off , and by 2015 she began competing again. Bigwood has proven to be full of surprises and there is no doubt that she will remain a top competitor in Rio.
Edward Gal of the Dutch claims the No. 4 spot, scoring 75.271 on his dressage test. Gal is hoping to earn his first individual title and help his team earn a spot on the podium for the second consecutive Summer Olympics.
USA’s Kasey Perry-Glass lands a top five spot in her Olympic debut after making her first Grand Prix appearance in January of this year. Perry-Glass must continue to deliver four star performances in the next rounds if she wants a chance at bringing home an individual title.
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Germany plans on taking back what is theirs, the golden title. The 11 time gold winning team is off to a tremendous start in their quest for their 12th golden title. Dorothee Schneider and Sonke Rothenburg’s star dressage performances land the Germans the No.1 and No.2 spots on the individual leaderboard, giving the team a substantial lead on day one with an average of 79.157%.
London’s gold champions, Great Britain stay close in the race with an average of 74.921%. The team learned what it felt like to win their first gold title in 2012 and is hungry to stay on top. The team has a strong chance in doing so with two reigning gold medalists returning. Charlotte Dujardin, world-record holder and reigning individual medalist will be a key component to Britain’s success. Carl Hester and Dujardin will test in Thursdays Grand Prix round.
Team USA, the Dutch, and Sweden will continue fighting for a spot on the podium. Team USA’s Kasey Perry-Glass holds down the No.5 spot on the individual leaderboard while Allison Brock drops to the No. 7 spot, still keeping the team in reach of gold. Sweden holds the No. 6 and No.10 spots on the leaderboard. The Dutch’s Edward Gal holds the No.4 after Addeline Cornelissen and horse Parzival retire due to the horses hairline fracture.
The second half of Grand Prix will kick off on Thursday at 9:00 am EST.
