PARIS (Reuters) -Germany's Christian Kukuk with his grey Gelding Checker unexpectedly won Olympic gold in showjumping on Tuesday, showing a flawless ride in the final jumpoff between the three best riders while one of the hottest contenders fell from his mount.
Kukuk's victory, which followed German gold medals in individual eventing and dressage as well as in the dressage team competition, cemented Germany's standing as the sport's powerhouse.
Swiss Steve Guerdat won silver with his horse Dynamix de Belheme. Dutch Maikel van der Vleuten with horse Beauville Z was third.
"To be a gold medallist now, to go down in the history books, that will take me a while to realise. It still has to sink in a bit, but it's just a fantastic day," Kukuk said.
Silver medallist Guerdat, who was seen as one of the main favourites, said missing out on gold was "the next thing that will keep me from sleeping calmly the next four years."
The blockbuster jumpoff between the three was held on a short course than the initial final rides.
Kukuk, 34, who works as a trainer in the stables of four-times Olympic gold medallist Ludger Beerbaum, never won a major international championship or Olympic medal. He said the course was the toughest of his career.
"I've never seen any course like that... this is crazy. I'm unbelievably happy and proud of Checker how easily he's done it," Kukuk said.
In the day's main shocker a little earlier, Sweden's showjumping star Henrik von Eckermann, the current world champion who was seen as one of the hottest contenders for gold, fell from his mount King Edward, resulting in his elimination.
The roughly 16,5000 people of the Versailles arena held their breaths when the gelding started to falter midway through the course. Von Eckermann fell into the sand seconds later when the horse suddenly stopped.
The horse - the best on record according to analyst firm EquiRatings - did not fall, and Von Eckermann was seen walking out of the arena with no apparent signs of injury.
The 15 artfully designed obstacles reminiscent of Paris landmarks like the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower of up to 1.65 metres (5.41 ft), challenged riders and horses, with much fewer clear rides than in the qualifier on Monday.
As the hooves of all but three of the world's finest jumping horses knocked wood at least once during their rides, nervous sighs and frustrated 'aahs' shaped the ambient noise in the arena facing Louis XIV's world-famous Palace.
"It's a tough course but it's the Olympic final, that's what we expect,", defending Olympic champion Ben Maher from Britain said after he failed to reach the jumpoff. "It just wasn't meant to be today."
(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Ken Ferris and Christian Radnedge)
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