The team and individual equestrian eventing competition kicked into gear Saturday with the dressage discipline taking center stage.

Despite the rain, both horses and athletes put together a number of stunning performances, setting up a high-stakes finish over the next two days as they race for an eventing medal. With each athlete and mount combination preforming the same choreographed routine, execution was critical for athletes to earn a strong score and set themselves up for a podium finish.

Read below to see who topped the standings in dressage and who will have put together a strong performance in cross-country and jumping to secure their place on the podium.

Great Britain dominated the dressage portion of the eventing competition, topping the standings throughout the day and giving itself an impressive cushion of over seven points heading into the second round. Tom McEwen set the tone for the British with a score of 25.8, but was quickly overtaken by teammate Laura Collett, who danced her way to a stunning score of 17.5. FEI top-ranked Rosalind Canter rounded out the day for Team Great Britain with a score of 23.3, putting the British team in first place with a combined score of 66.6 and an average score of 22.2.

Germany finished Day 1 trailing its British rival. Defending individual eventing gold medalist Julia Krajewski opened the competition after a last second substitution saw her replace Sandra Auffarth, who had to pull out of the competition due to her horse's health. Krajewski's score of 26.9 was followed up by Christoph Wahler with a score of 29.4. However, it was Michael Jung who brought the Germans into second place with a strong score of 17.8 that raised the team's combined score to 74.1 for an average of 24.7. 

Home-team France rounded out the provisional team podium after finishing in third place with a combined score of 80.7 and an average score of 26.9. Stephane Landois went first for the French, scoring a 24.4. Karim Florent Laghouag followed with a score of 29.6, and five-time Olympian Nicolas Touzaint brought home a score of 26.7 to wrap up day one for the hosts.

The United States finished the dressage event in a solid sixth place. Liz Halliday-Sharp led the way for the U.S. with an impressive 28.0 after replacing Will Coleman, who retired due to an injury to his mount. Veteran Tokyo Olympians Caroline Pamukcu and Boyd Martin rounded out the day with scores of 30.4 and 30.5, giving the U.S. a combined score of 88.9 and an average score of 29.63. The U.S. team will look for strong performances over the next two disciplines to reach the podium as they hope to match the silver medal finish from the 2022 Eventing World Championships.

RESULTS

Collett established herself as the woman to beat in Day 1 of the eventing competition. She executed a nearly flawless dressage routine with a 82.5 percent conversion rate that inherited her the lead and broke a 24-year-old Olympic eventing individual dressage record. Her superb showing left her with a blistering score of 17.5 that proved indomitable for the rest of the field. Jung came closest to Collett and finished a mere 0.3 points behind the British rider for a score of 17.8, landing him on the second step of the provisional podium. 

One of just two Chinese riders in the eventing competition, Alex Hua Tian was a surprise fixture in third place, earning a score of 22.0. The 4.2-point gap between second and third separated Collett and Jung from the rest of the field, making Hua Tian the leader of the remaining competitors. Christopher Burton of Australia and Felix Vogg of Switzerland rounded out the top five with scores of 22.0 and 22.1, keeping the three athletes in very close competition for the individual bronze medal heading into the cross-country and jumping events. Landois was the highest scoring member of team France on Day 1, entering Day 2 sitting in seventh place behind Canter.

Halliday-Sharp recorded the United States' best finish of the dressage event and will enter Day 2 of competition inside the top 20. Pamukcu and Martin will look to bounce back after a slow start and gain ground when they take on the cross-country course Sunday morning.

RESULTS

Equestrian eventing will continue on Sunday with the cross-country discipline. Competition will kick off at 4:30 a.m. ET.