Olympics-Equestrian-Germany, US lead the pack in team showjumping qualifiers

By Tassilo Hummel

VERSAILLES (Reuters) - Germany and the United States topped the board at the Olympic showjumping team qualifiers on Thursday, ahead of Britain, Belgium and Netherlands while Switzerland, seen as one of the favourites this year, unexpectedly dropped out.

All three German riders produced flawless rides and they were the only team in the competition without a single penalty point.

The U.S., silver medallists three years ago in Tokyo, were second, despite a last-minute change to their team after Kent Farrington had to bow out due to a health issue with his horse Greya.

"This is not supposed to be easy, it's supposed to be challenging, it's supposed to test you," said Karl Cook, who was called up as a replacement only a few hours before the competition.

Cook told reporters he was more nervous ahead of his unexpected Olympic debut than his 12-year-old mare. "I would say she's 0% stressed and 100% excited," he said.

Laura Kraut, who won gold with team USA at Beijing 2008, rode the best performance of the day with her bay Hanover gelding Baloutinue, managing 17 clear jumps in just under 73 seconds.

That was 1.5 seconds faster than the world's top-ranked showjumper, Henrick von Eckermann on King Edward from defending gold medallists Sweden, who also made it through.

Unlike dressage and eventing - traditionally dominated by just a few countries - the field in show jumping is fairly open and several nations, also including Ireland, Belgium and France are expected to deliver a tight battle for the medals.

The 10 best teams will contest the team showjumping final on Friday when all scores obtained in the qualification phase will be erased. The individual showjumping competition takes place early next week.

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Toby Davis)