U.S., down a rider, wins silver in team show jumping

The U.S. equestrian team won the silver medal in team show jumping Wednesday despite the last-minute scratch of a veteran rider.

U.S. rider Elizabeth Madden, a four-time Olympian, withdrew before the final, citing an injury to her horse, Cortes C. The 14-year-old gelding — who goes by the name Tiny in the stables — suffered a tendon injury during Tuesday’s preliminary rounds, and Madden said she would not risk the animal’s health any further.

Madden’s withdrawal meant that the U.S. team would not have the luxury of dropping the lowest score of its four riders. Instead, all three rides counted. Her absence also meant the United States would be without its longtime anchor, which is much like trying to win a World Series without a cleanup hitter.

“We did not really have an option,” U.S. rider McLain Ward said. “Elizabeth has been our anchor for the better part of a decade and her record of coming through in the clutch is second to none. But we thought we had a strong team, strong horses. And we thought the course was brilliant today.”

France won the event with just three penalties, followed by the United States with five. The German team took bronze with eight penalties after a jump-off with Canada.

Kent Farrington had one penalty on the final day, while Ward went clean and teammate Lucy Davis had 4.

Farrington also remains in contention for a second medal in these Games. He was tied for second in the individual competition after three rounds on his horse, Voyeur, a 14-year-old gelding.

The scores will reset to zero when the two-round competition resumes Friday.

“I am really thrilled with how Voyeur is going, but that’s not going to count for anything other than some confidence when we all start over,” Farrington said. “Tomorrow, I’ll just pet him and tell him that he’s good and let him rest.”

sstclair@tribpub.com

Twitter: @stacystclair