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Lamaze on Canadian equestrian team headed for Rio 2016

July 20, 2016   ·   0 Comments

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Equestrian Canada (EC) named the 10 athletes nominated to represent Team Canada in equestrian at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games from August 5 to 21.
Both eventing and jumping will field teams of four athletes, while two individuals will represent Canada in dressage. The Canadian Eventing Team earned their Olympic berth after finishing sixth at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France. The Canadian Jumping Team received a team berth after winning the gold medal on home soil at the 2015 Pan American Games last July. Although the Canadian Dressage Team did not earn a team berth, spots for two individuals were secured through qualification criteria set by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI).
The Canadian Equestrian Team’s final preparations for Rio over the next few weeks will include training camps in Florida and Germany. In addition, jumping athletes will compete at the prestigious CHIO Aachen World Equestrian Festival, which ran July 11-17 in Aachen, Germany.
Among those heading to Rio are Eric Lamaze, Yann Candele, Belinda Trussell and Tiffany Foster.
At the Games, equestrian sport will kick off with eventing, August 6-9. Dressage will follow on August 10, 11, 12 and 15. Jumping closes out the equestrian portion of the Games on August 14, 16, 17 and 19.
Historically, Canada has achieved impressive results at the Olympic Games, earning a total of six equestrian medals.
Most recently, Eric Lamaze claimed the individual gold medal in jumping at Beijing 2008. His teammates, Mac Cone, Jill Henselwood and “Captain Canada” Ian Millar also helped secure the silver medal for the Canadian Jumping Team. Millar also set a record at London 2012 by becoming the first athlete in any sport, from any nation, to compete in 10 Olympic Games.
Olympic Show Jumping Champion Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, has selected Fine Lady 5 as his mount for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Lamaze was considering three horses for the upcoming Olympic Games, all owned by Andy and Carlene Ziegler’s Artisan Farms in partnership with Lamaze’s Torrey Pines Stable. His 2015 Pan American Games team gold medal partner, Coco Bongo, and Check Picobello Z were also in contention but, following the opening week of competition at the CSI5* Spruce Meadows ‘National’ tournament in Calgary, Lamaze made his choice.
“She is the most reliable, experienced horse that I have,” said Lamaze, of the 13-year-old bay Hanoverian mare (Forsyth x Drosselklang II).  “Every time I have asked her to step up and do a big class, she has always done it easily.”
A total of 200 horse and rider combinations from 43 countries will compete at Rio 2016. Overall, Canada expects to field a team of approximately 315 athletes.
“Canada has a long history of equestrian excellence and I am very proud that these athletes named will be continuing the tradition in Rio. The partnership between athlete and horse is a unique bond that goes beyond athleticism and one that is admired by many. I look forward to celebrating the results of their hard work this summer,” said Curt Harnett, Rio 2016 Team Canada Chef de Mission.
“Our Canadian Equestrian Team has worked extremely hard to earn their berths to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and achieved remarkable milestones along the way, from winning Pan Am medals to breaking Canadian records. Our team for Rio also demonstrates how unique and extraordinary our sport is. Not only does equestrian sport display an incredible bond between horse and rider, as one of the only mixed gender Olympic sports, it celebrates gender equality. I know our athletes nominated today will continue to make Canada proud and I look forward to celebrating their success in Rio,” added Eva Havaris, Chief Executive Officer, Equestrian Canada.
“I am thrilled to be representing Canada in show jumping in Rio. The Olympics are the pinnacle of sport; for most athletes it starts as a dream, for the fortunate few it is then a goal and, for the lucky ones, it becomes a reality. I feel incredibly privileged to be one of those lucky ones. A huge thank you must be given to our incredible horse owners, our tireless support staff, and the hardworking individuals at Equestrian Canada who make it all possible. There may only be five people named to the Canadian Jumping Team, but the team that stands behind us consists of so many more. I’m looking forward to doing my very best in Rio and making Canada proud!” added Foster.
“It is an honour to be chosen to represent Canada at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. These Olympics are so special to me because four years ago my dreams were shattered when my horse Anton had a major injury that took us out of the running for the London 2012 Games. Little did I know he would recover so well and earn a place on the Rio Olympic Team with personal best scores. I could not have accomplished this goal without my amazing family, team and coach. Thank you to Equestrian Canada for all the support and huge organizational challenges getting us all to Rio safely. I will wear the maple leaf proudly in Rio!” noted Trussell, Athens 2004 Olympian.

         

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