Bulletin: The eventing squad led the competition start to finish, while Marilyn Little came from behind to take the individual gold.
The U.S. eventing team of Marilyn Little, Phillip Dutton, Lauren Kieffer and Boyd Martin enjoy a victory gallop at the Pan Am Games today. PALGRAVE, Ontario, Canada -- U.S. eventers came to the Pan American Games with two goals -- to win the team gold medal and qualify for the Olympics.
They did that and more, as Marilyn Little added to the excitement by taking the individual gold today.
She came from behind for her win, as the last rider to go into the arena at the OLG Caledon Equestrian Park toppled a pole from the final fence and dropped from first to third.
Little, who had been standing second, was elevated to the top of the podium with a fault-free trip on RF Scandalous, finishing on her dressage score of 40.3 penalties.
The defending champion, Jessica Phoenix, clinched the silver on Pavarotti with a score of 42.1 penalties.
It was a big comeback for Phoenix, who was badly injured in a fall at the Jersey Fresh event in May, when doubts were raised as to whether she would make it back in time for the Pan Ams in her homeland.
Ruy Fonseca of Brazil, who led after dressage and cross-country on Tom Bombadill Too, was sportsmanlike in accepting the bronze after losing gold and winding up with a score of 42.9.
The U.S. was on top of the team standings from the start, and all of the team's riders finished in the top 10. Boyd Martin wound up just out of the medals with Pancho Villa in fourth; Lauren Kieffer was seventh on Meadowbrooks Scarlett. Phillip Dutton, the most veteran member of the squad, was 10th with Fernhill Fugitive.
"It's been a bit of a tough road for American eventing," said Dutton, referring to the fact that the team was seventh in the 2012 London Olympics, and was not able to finish in last year's World Equestrian Games..
"I think that everybody's stuck to the principles of trying to get better and trying to improve the sport and get better horses, and for the riders to ride better. I would like to think it's all starting to pay off.
"Obviously, this is just one small step to where we want to go," Dutton continued, "but I think it's really exciting and a credit to (coach) David O'Connor and to everybody else who has put the time in; the riders and owners that have really supported it and tried to grow the sport to get us back to the top of the world."
The U.S. had 133 penalties to 140.7 for Brazil and 163 for bronze medal Canada.