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Great Britain retained their Olympic team eventing title to win the nation’s first gold medal at the Paris 2024 Games.
Tokyo 2020 champions Laura Collett and Tom McEwen, joined by world number one Ros Canter, sealed victory in Monday’s final showjumping stage at Chateau de Versailles.
Team GB ended the three-day competition with 91.30 penalties to finish a commanding 12.3 clear of host nation France, while Japan took bronze.
Collett, McEwen and Canter topped the standings heading into the jumping finale but had seen their lead drastically reduced in Sunday’s cross-country, following a record-breaking dressage performance.
“On top of the world. I have never, ever ridden into an atmosphere like that. Luckily, London is one trusty partner, so are my team,” Collett told BBC Sport.
“There are no words to describe the atmosphere, all three days. I didn’t think anything would top the cross country, it was unreal.”
The triumph in Tokyo was GB’s first team eventing gold for 49 years, as Collett – once again riding London 52 in Paris – and McEwen were joined by Oliver Townend, with Canter a travelling reserve on that occasion.
Three years after that success the team successfully retained their Olympic title for the first time since achieving back-to-back golds in 1972.
Later on Monday, Great Britain’s riders will compete for individual eventing medals after all three qualified to the final, which starts at 14:00 BST.
Collett will begin the individual final in the bronze medal position, 1.3 penalty points behind Germany’s leader Michael Jung, with second-placed Australian Christopher Burton 0.7 ahead.
Tokyo individual silver medallist McEwen, on JL Dublin, is fourth, 2.7 penalty points off the podium places.
But Canter, with Lordships Graffalo, is 23rd overall after incurring 15 jumping penalties in the cross country which dropped her from sixth to 24th.
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