Behind the scene - The Rio Diary
Flying into Rio in the early evening is a brilliant experience; the jagged mountains emerge from the clouds and the ocean sparkles in the light of the setting sun. An Aussie seated behind us tells his wife, “It’s going to be OK love. Look, there are lots of trees. It’s just like the North Shore”. Young voices from the front of the aircraft are giving tongue to “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi! Oi! Oi!” Our Olympic adventure has begun.
The Olympic-accredited people have a dedicated, significantly shorter queue to welcome them to Rio. Ours is very long but the atmosphere is tingling with excitement and the adrenaline deals with travel aches. Finally, into the car and out of the airport into packed traffic. Buses squash in on either side. There seems to be no room between them, but, we ARE between them. Men carrying large bags, aloft their shoulders, filled with soft drinks and packets of nuts run frenetically between the cars, selling their wares and risking their lives. Welcome to Rio!
Our driver is amazingly skilled and we squeeze and fit through the traffic to our accommodation at Bora Bora in Barra. We are staying across the road from the Aquatic Centre (where the diving, waterpolo and synchro swimming will be contested) which is next to the gymnastics arena and the velodrome. We are lucky to be staying in the private homes of locals. How trusting are they.
Morning arrives on the first day of Dressage for the Eventing Team. Getting there proves to be a challenge. The new Olympic Freeway has only just opened and the locals are not permitted to use it. The drivers don’t know how to get on and off. Yet, when access points are discovered the freeway leads away from snarling traffic, which we again encounter along with a multitude of blocked roads on approach to each venue. Lines of people snake through the checkpoints. We open bags but the metal detectors are not like those at the airport. My body sends the latter into a frenzy. Not a beep out of these ones. There is a pleasantly casual atmosphere, and although we can hear muffled gunfire from what we assume is a military training exercise we are not alarmed. As days pass the route to the venue gets a little less challenging. Yet the drop-off points sporadically change and so the walk time into the venue extends a little as the Games progress. It makes for short tempers and lots of shouting as people gather around the fleet of cars transporting athletes and officials as they try to offer help with directions to the various drop off points. As well-meaning as the advice seems to be, it often results in re-tracing our route with the result of no advancement to the venue. In time, we learn most locals do not know the connectivity of the new roads and we will face ever-changing security roadblocks and access points.
Deodoro, where the Equestrian is based, is a huge military facility. There are wonderful frescos on entrances which record horse activities in long lost days. Many horses are still used by the military for parades, crowd control and, it seemed, traffic direction in some circumstances. The stables for the Olympic Games were absolutely new and not near the military stable facilities for obvious biosecurity reasons.
On the first day we walk into the stables we are met with the sight of big airy stables, newly constructed, with varying bedding according to horse need. The tack boxes outside each stable were provided by the EA High Performance team and are a smart dark green with gold branding. Stable curtains, similarly coloured, keep the front of the stables suitably shady. Australian flags hang everywhere. It’s a great presentation and a credit to the team who support our riders.
Biosecurity is plainly evident at the stable entry: antiseptic dispensers for the hands and a wet carpet walk through to decontaminate our shoes. No food or water is allowed to be carried into the venue. Understandable, but, of course, it means long queues to get both. On day one, Paula and I stood patiently in a very long line in the very hot sun. I received a gentle tap on the shoulder to follow a young man to the front of the line. Paula follows, he turns to her and says, “She old”. I’ve never been so grateful for age and grey hair! For the most part, the ‘grey’ continues to stand us in good stead as we can utilise ‘priority’ lines to buy our consumables for the day.
The shooters and the hockey team reserves become our travelling companions which allows us a little insight as to what is happening in sports other than equestrian.
To kick off the first week of the Games, we head to the Aussie Team HQ (outside of the Olympic Village) aptly named ‘The Edge’. Converted from its usual purpose as an event centre, the AOC has set it up as an athletes retreat and sponsor entertainment venue. Tonight, we host the owners who are in Rio. Chris Webb arranged the event on behalf of the High Performance Team and all seem to enjoy the occasion. It’s hard for EA to find ways of expressing the sport’s gratitude to the very generous support both EA and our riders receive from the owners of horses who compete in our name at the Olympic Games. We hope this went some way to recognise and celebrate their generosity.
It’s back to ‘The Edge’ the next night for the AOC President’s Reception. Both John Coates and Kitty Chiller address the gathering, as well as our newest medallists from diving and shooting. The Eventers’ bronze medal and Shooting’s gold medal are enthusiastically toasted. Shooting has been a ‘Foundation Sport’ under the ASC’s funding model for many years, while we have been seen as an ‘Emerging Sport’ since we lost gold medal status in Athens. On our return from Rio, we will open discussions with the ASC knowing that we have met our target which was to medal at Rio. Coupled with the Eventing Team result, Sam Griffiths’ and Chris Burton’s magnificent ‘Top 8’ performances mean we have exceeded our benchmarks.
Andrew Plympton, AOC and ASC Board member, joins us for the cross country and we race him and Helen Brownlee, AOC Vice President, around the second half of the course so they truly experience the trials and tribulations of eventing. They saw our team in full flight on the way to the bronze and achieving two riders in the top eight. That is ASC language for success!
The Eventers spend the night celebrating, then pack, load the horses and leave for quarantine in the UK for 60 days and then home. Eventing Team results are HERE and Eventing Individual results are HERE.
The Dressage horses look a little lonely for a day or so until the Jumpers arrive and, then, the Australian stables are a hive of activity again.
Sue Hearn and ‘Remmington’ are the first combination into the arena in the whole competition. Who wants to be first in any competition? ‘Remmington’ is a credit to Sue; calm and deliberate, he puts his best hoof forward for 65%. From time to time, he tilts an ear at a new distraction although he takes absolutely no notice when gunshots sound from the morning drills at the adjoining barracks. While other horses are not immune to the crack of gunfire splitting the air, by day three of hearing gunfire, the horses appear to be unaffected to the onslaught of the sound. Not so for the people who look slightly alarmed but not particularly disturbed!
Mary Hanna and ‘Boogie Woogie’ prepare in first-rate warm-up arenas. The going is excellent and ‘Boogie Woogie’ just loves it. He has been competing at Grand Prix level for just a year but is already showing maturity and elegance in all of his movements. While finding the atmosphere exhilarating, he is obedient and Mary pilots him to a very respectable 69.9%. She is delighted. Lyndal Oatley and ‘Sandro Boy’ are the second Australia combination to enter the arena on day two of the Dressage. The pair look striking. Lyndal is such an elegant rider and Sandro Boy strides around the arena claiming attention. The test goes well for the first part. Then, a couple of minor misunderstandings in the changes lead the judges to lose confidence and the marks reflected that. She is awarded 70.186%. When Kristy Oatley enters the arena on ‘Du Soleil’ she looks settled but bursting with presence. Hopes for over 70% are dashed when mistakes shake the judges' confidence and the marks fall but 68% is quite mean in our rather biased view!
Sadly there are no Australian riders in the Grand Prix Special or the Freestyle. Check out the full Dressage results : Grand Prix HERE, Grand Prix Special HERE, Freestyle HERE, Team results HERE.
Following the Dressage, we enjoy a very pleasant visit to Japan House to dine with Secretary General of the Japanese Equestrian Federation, Yasuhiko Haruta, and the International Relations Department representative, Ai Iwamoto. We get the strong impression that plans are well advanced for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020… we need a hashtag for Tokyo. Is it #TrackingToTokyo? All suggestions very welcome.
Jumping traditionally ends the Olympic Equestrian Competition. It is four days of competition spread over six days to give the horses a break and it is a spellbinding competition. The first round is difficult enough and there are faults for three on our team and Edwina jumps a clear round. The second round, two days later, sees Matt William star with a clear round, Edwina with four jumping penalties and one-time penalty, the unfortunate Scott Keach eliminated and James Paterson Robertson with eight jumping penalties and one time. So, Edwina and Matt make the cut for the final of the Individual Competition. It gives Paula and I a series of ‘white knuckle’ moments. Edwina finishes 9th overall and Matt 29th. Check out the full Jumping results : 1st Qualifier HERE, 2nd Qualifier HERE, 3rd Qualifier HERE, Final Round A HERE, Final Round B HERE, Team results HERE.
All our sports at Olympic level mean knife edge competition. There is a certain amount of luck but the ability of horse and rider, together, to be pushed to the absolute limit is Olympic competition.
Excitingly, Australia is back in the medal winning frame. Tokyo is a few short years away and, as National Anthems pour in our apartment windows from the nearby venues, the excitement is already building. We are on track for Tokyo!
Judy Fasher & Paula Ward
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