base_template

Gold Medal: O'CONNOR, Cian (IRL), WATERFORD CRYSTAL - 4 (4) 0 0 0 4
2T. PESSOA, Rodrigo (BRA), BALOUBET DU ROUET -8 (12) 0 0 0 8
2T. KAPPLER, Chris (USA), ROYAL KALIBER 8 (12) 0 0 0 8
4. KUTSCHER, Marco (GER), MONTENDER - 4 (4) 4 1 5 9
5T. SMITH, Robert (GBR), MR SPRINGFIELD - 8 (12) 4 0 4 12
5T. DEMEERSMAN, Dirk (GBR), CLINTON - 8 (12) 4 0 4 12
5T. FREDERICSON, Peder (SWE), MAGIC BENGTSSON - 8 (12) 4 0 4 12
5T. BABINGTON, Kevin (IRL), CARLING KING - 8 (12) 4 0 4 12
5T. BENGTSSON, Rolf-Goran (SWE), MAC KINLEY -8 (12) 4 0 4 12
5T. PHILIPPAERTS, Ludo (BEL), PARCO - 4 (4) 8 0 8 12

There was a jump off between Pessoa (BRA) and Kappler (USA) for the Silver and Bronze Medals with the following results:

Silver Medal: PESSOA, Roderigo (BRA), Baloubet de Rouet

Bronze Medal: Kappler, Chris (USA), Royal Kaliber

Individual Jumping: ROYAL KALIBER (USA) strains flexor tendon -
27 Aug. 2004

ATHENS, 27 August - Following the injury of American horse ROYAL KALIBER (ridden by Chris KAPPLER) during the Jump Off of the individual Final of Jumping, Professor Leo JEFFCOTT (GBR), Chairman of the FEI Veterinary Commission, issued the following statement:

"The horse went acutely lame on the left fore limb after landing from a jump during the jump-off for the silver medal of the Individual Jumping Final. The horse was assessed briefly, a splint put on the leg and then led into the ambulance. It was immediately transported to the Veterinary Clinic, where further assessment was carried out.

"Following radiography and ultrasound examination an acute strain of the superficial digital flexor tendon was diagnosed. No sign of fracture was evident.

"The horse is being treated with analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs, the tendon iced and the limb supported.

"The horse will return to the stables in due course and be treated conservatively."

Kappler (USA) retired and was awarded the Bronze Medal; Pessoa (BRA) won the Silver Medal.

* * * * * * * * * *

FEDERATION EQUESTRE INTERNATIONALE
OLYMPIC UPDATE
27 AUGUST 2004

Cian O'Connor wins first ever Olympic Equestrian Medal for Ireland
First Irish Medal in Athens is a Gold One

Cian O'Connor riding Waterford Crystal won Ireland's first Gold Medal in the Individual Jumping Final tonight. Ireland is now the holder of the two most prestigious Gold Medals of the discipline: the World and the Olympic titles (Dermot Lennon won the World Gold Medal in 2002). "I never expected something like that" he smiled, "My horse gave everything and the track
actually suited me. I was very happy to pass the line of fences that everybody was afraid of, and I felt confident after the first round."

Brazilian Rodrigo Pessoa, 1998 World Champion and twice Team Bronze medallist in Atlanta and Sydney, took the SAilver in a dramatic jump-off against Chris Kappler (USA). Pessoa and his faithful chestnut French stallion Baloubet du Rouet went first and had the last rail down, finishing on 4 faults and 49.2 seconds. "At the end of the first round, I did not think I had a chance for a medal" he commented. "The course was very big, but also very delicate. Tough but fair to horses, like an Olympic course should be."

Chris Kappler tried to beat the time of the Brazilian and started his round very fast, but had to retire when his horse Royal Kaliber was injured after the second jump of the combination, and had to settle for bronze " Our team is very strong and we were able to deliver a Team Medal as well as an Individual one."

Marco Kutcher (GER), who came to the Games as a reserve rider and missed the jump-off by one time penalty in the second round, placed fourth.

Only two horses went clear in Round B: Baloubet du Rouet with Pessoa and the winning gelding Waterford Crystal.

Twenty-nine riders from four continents started in the Final round.

Complete results on www.athens2004.com

Update on Royal Kaliber

"Following radiography and ultrasound examination, an acute strain of the superficial digital flexor tendon was diagnosed. The horse is being treated with analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs, the tendon iced and the limb supported." explained Leo Jeffcott, President of the Veterinary Commission.

The horse just returned to his box at the time this release is being sent out.

Muriel Faienza
Communication Manager
Federation Equestre Internationale
m.faienza@horsesport.org
www.horsesport.org
T +41 21 310 47 47

#############################################################

ATHENS, 27 August - Cian O'CONNOR, riding WATERFORD CRYSTAL, won Ireland's first gold medal in Jumping. The 24-year-old from Dublin had a clear round in the final Round B.

Brazilian Rodrigo PESSOA, 1998 World Champion, took silver in a dramatic jump-off. PESSOA on BALOUBET DE ROUET went first, and had the last rail down, leaving him with four faults and 49.2 seconds.

Chris KAPPLER of the United States tried to beat the time, but had to stop when his horse, ROYAL KALIBER, was injured after the second jump of the combination, fence 5 b.

German Marco KUTSCHER, who came to the Games as a reserve rider and missed the jump-off by one time penalty in the second round, placed fourth.

Only two horses managed a clear go in Round B: BALOUBET DE ROUET with PESSOA and the winning gelding WATERFORD CRYSTAL.

McLain WARD had bad luck when his bridle broke and he had to dismount.

* * * * * * * *

United States Equestrian Federation, Inc.

4047 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511-8483 Tel: (859) 258-2472 Fax (859) 231-6662 Web site: www.usef.org

NEWS RELEASE:P

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, August 30, 2004:

Kappler Wins Bronze in Tough Day for U.S. Show Jumpers

Friday, August 27, was a difficult evening for the United States Team as an unusual equipment failure in the middle of his final round, a broken bit, caused McLain Ward, of Brewster, NY, to retire from the competition for the individual medals. Then, in a jump-off for the Silver and Bronze medals Chris Kappler, of Pittstown, NJ, was pitted against Brazilian rider Rodrigo Pessoa and Baloubet du Rouet, when he felt his horse, Royal Kaliber, take a bad step. He immediately stopped and dismounted, ending his bid for the Silver Medal.

Royal Kaliber was immediately taken to the veterinary clinic and was diagnosed with an acute tendon strain of his left front leg. It is not a life threatening injury and Dr. Tim Ober, a veterinarian with the U.S. Team says Royal Kaliber’s prognosis is good since there is no bone damage, and with time he should be fine.

“He was jumping unbelievable with only two fences to go,” said Kappler of his round. “[It was] something at oxer fence #15, before the double verticals in the jump-off. He just seemed to land and take a funny step . . .I knew right away I had to pull him up.” There was no second thought or guessing as far as Kappler was concerned – the horse must come first. “He must have just put a foot wrong.”

Kappler and Royal Kaliber still won the Bronze Medal and when awarded their medal received a resounding round of applause in appreciation of their great performance.

Beezie Madden, of Cazenovia, NY had a very uncharacteristic 12 faults in the first round this afternoon and did not qualify for the final individual round this evening. Madden’s two perfectly clear rounds on Tuesday largely contributed to the U.S. winning the silver medal in the team competition.

ENDS

For more information, please contact Maria Partlow, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications on (859) 225-6941 or via email at mpartlow@usef.org. USEF press releases are available on our web site – www.usef.org.

Individual Jumping : Gold Medallist, Cian O'CONNOR (IRL) 28 Aug. 2004

ATHENS, 27 August - Comments from Individual Jumping Gold Medallist Cian O'CONNOR (IRL).

Cian O'CONNOR (IRL) - Gold Medallist:

On how he will celebrate the first ever Olympic medal for Ireland in the Equestrian sport:

''I'll drink plenty of Guiness when I go home! I think that the Irish people will accept it with open arms. It is very good for the country as well as for the sport.''

On his expectation before the Games:

''I never expected something like that. I am absolutely delighted. The horse gave everything he had. Actually, the track suited me. I was very happy to pass the line of fences that everybody was afraid of. I felt very confident after the first round.''

On his horse WATERFORD CRYSTAL:

''I bought him from Germany four years ago and I arranged to have him only until after the Olympic Games in Athens. I'm doing some horse-dealing myself. He used to jump in Germany at the time. Now I will have to talk with the owner and see what I can do in order to keep him.

"He has been good and consistent all along. He has been jumping well all year, in the Nation's Cup in Rome and in Aachen, so I could say that everything came off of the day.''

On his background:

''I started riding at the age of 14 in a local riding centre in Ireland. I took jumping lessons when I was 17 and for the last six years I have been competing internationally.''

Individual Jumping: Quotes from the Silver and Bronze Medalists 28 Aug. 2004

ATHENS, 27 August - Comments from Rodrigo PESSOA (BRA), Chris KAPPLER (USA).

Rodrigo PESSOA (BRA) - Silver Medalist:

On winning the silver medal in a jumpoff in which Chris KAPPLER's (USA) horse was injured:

"It is never nice to defeat an opponent in this way. We want to find out why the horse got injured. I have mixed feelings, I didn't want to do it that way and I already told Chris that he is a super rider and that he is worth a medal."

On his different performances in round A and B:

"In the first round, I didn't feel so confident and I made a mistake after the water jump. My first round was poor. Then I felt more confident. I realised that the horse and rider combination proved that we had the possibility to win. I knew he had the power to do it. I didn't think of what had happened in Sydney and in the second round I believed that I could do a clear round."

On the horses injured during the Games:

"These horses are super-athletes and they are trained to do these jumps. Usually we don't have these kind of accidents, so I think an investigation of the ground should be made."

Chris KAPPLER (USA) - Bronze Medalist

On his horse ROYAL KALIBER's injury in the jump-off:

"As we were approaching fence number 5, it looked as if there was something going on with the horse and I thought that he may have put his foot wrong. While we were jumping over the double vertical, his step looked funny again and I thought that the best thing to do was to stop."

On his horse ROYAL KALIBER:

"We have been working together since he was four. This horse has won so many competitions for me. He has been a great friend all these years. Before we came to Athens, we had in mind a good perfomance in the Nations Cup. I thought that if I didn't mess it up, he would perform well in the Individual."

On the Jumping course:

"Three horses went lame in Jumping over the past few days. Maybe the ground needs to be looked into. These horses need to jump high and wide fences. We must preserve their fitness and their health. When you take out so much of these horses, the ground needs to be 110 percent."

* * * * * * * *

The Individual Scores of the Top Nine Competitors, after the First Round, are Listed Below:

1T. KUERTEN, Jessica (IRL), CASTLE FORBES MAIKE - 0 0 0
1T. SKELTON, Nick (GBR), ARKO III -0 0 0
3. MEECH, Daniel (NZL), DIAGONAL - 0 1 1
4T. O'CONNOR, Cian (IRL), WATERFORD CRYSTAL - 4 0 4
4T. PHILIPPAERTS, Ludo (BEL), PARCO - 4 0 4
4T. SCHRODER, Wim (NED), MONTREAL - 4 0 4
4T. VELIN, Thomas (DEN),CARNUTE - 4 0 4
4T. KAPPLER, Chris (USA), ROYAL KALIBER - 4 0 4
4T. KUTSCHER Marco (GER), MONTENDER - 4 0 4

Other USA Scores:

12T. WARD, McLain (USA), Sapphire - 8 0 8
30T. MADDEN Beezie (USA), Authentic - 12 0 12

Officials:

Ground Jury President: HOLMBERG, Sven (SWE)

Ground Jury: ALVAREZ de BOHORQUES, Jose (ESP)

Ground Jury: FERLAND, Francois (CAN)

Ground Jury: GEORGOPOULOS, Leo (GRE)

Individual Jumping : SKELTON, KUERTEN leading finallists 27 Aug. 2004

ATHENS, 27. August - Nick SKELTON, of Great Britain, riding ARKO, and Jessica KUERTEN, of Ireland, on CASTLE FORBES MAIKE were the only two competitors to complete the first round of the Individual Jumping final with no penalties this afternoon at Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre.

Daniel MEECH (NZL), riding the talented DIAGONAL, got home with only a one-point time penalty.

Forty-six riders started the first round.

The course, set by German Olaf PETERSEN, proved to be very demanding, with four consecutive jumps - 7a, 7b, 8 and 9 - causing problems for most competitors.

Hot favourite Beezie MADDEN (USA), riding AUTHENTIC, had three fences down (9, 12a and 12b) and missed the Medal Round, which starts at 20:30. (Eastern European Time - 1:30 PM EDST)

Malin BARYARD, of Sweden, and Swiss anchorman Markus FUCHS also had disappointing rounds. BARYARD's 12 points keep her out of the final round. FUCHS retired after making mistakes on the first part of the course.

ATHENS, 27 August - Comments from the riders competing in Individual Round A

Jessica KUERTEN (IRL):

On her performance with CASTLE FORBES MAIKE:

''I am absolutely delighted. This was a super ride. I am more than thrilled with her. She did more than I expected. We just got in and did the job. The most difficult part I think was fence number 7 A and B, the blue and orange combination, where I had to ride her slowly''.

On her horse

''She is very sweet and sensitive. You have to ride her quietly. She doesn't like to be pushed''.

On the second round

''I just have to keep my nerve and she has to keep on jumping. We have a long way to go but we have the same chances like the other 19 riders''.

Antonis PETRIS (GRE):

On his performance with GREDO LA DAVIERE:

''Getting here is a great success for me. I wanted more, of course. We always do. The rails we had down were due to lack of experience. Wherever the course was very technical, my horse had a problem''.

On his future goals

''We will compete at the World Equestrian Games which are also very important''.

Nick SKELTON (GBR):

On the jumping course:

''The double oxer is too big and wide. It is a big and tricky course. This is an Olympic Games course and it kept me worried throughout the test''.

McLain WARD (USA):

On his performance with SAPPHIRE:

"I knocked two rails down. Since my horse is experienced at this level, I am not pleased at all. Although she was jumping well, little mistakes here and there cost at the Olympic Games. I just hope I can do better tonight and that there are better days to come for her."

There are 29 competitors scheduled to jump the Second Round. Two Americans, Chris Kappler and McLain Ward, will jump in the Second Round.