The fields are set for the equestrian dressage individual and team finals. 

Day 2 of dressage qualifying wrapped up Wednesday in stunning fashion, with several of the sport’s greatest riders rocketing to the top of the standings. Six athletes grabbed automatic qualification by finishing at the top of their groups, while six athletes across both days found out if they scored high enough to grab the six remaining spots in the event’s individual final.

After having only one rider compete on Day 1, leaving them outside of the top placements, dressage titan Germany rocketed its way back into medal contention with dazzling performances from Olympic legend Isabell Werth and defending Olympic champion Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl. With two of the highest scores across all competitors, the two German women improved their team score to 237.546, giving them a healthy lead of nearly two points over second place as they chase their eighth team dressage gold medal over the past nine Games.

After a strong performance on Day 1, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour’s stunning routine helped Denmark keep its place on the provisional podium, finishing second in the qualifying round. After narrowly missing out on a medal finish in Tokyo, Denmark will enter the team dressage final on Aug. 3 in close contention for a medal. With their first and only Olympic team dressage medal coming in the form of their 2008 third place finish, the Danish will be looking to either overtake the Germans and secure the country’s first ever team dressage gold or defend their position for what would be the country’s first ever silver.

With Germany and Denmark posting field-topping scores, Great Britain dropped into third heading into the team final. A strong performance from Tokyo team medalist Charlotte Fry gave the British a healthy lead over 4.5 points over fourth place Netherlands as the British look to capture their fourth straight Olympic team dressage medal.

RESULTS

Defending individual dressage world champion Fry started the day off with a staggering performance, dancing her way to an impressive 78.913 and grabbing the top spot at the time in the overall standings. However, she was quickly overtaken by Laudrup-Dufour who’s phenomenal performance in group D sent her straight to the top of the standings with an 80.792, making her the first rider of the competition to score above an 80.

Joining Laudrup-Dufour at the top of Group D was final runner Werth — the most decorated dressage rider in history — who grabbed the group’s second automatic qualifying spot with a score of 79.363. Fry was bumped down into third, but her score was high enough for her to secure a spot in the final round.

Austrian Victoria Max-Theurer kicked off group E with a score of 74.301. Her score would keep her at the top of the group until the very end, when final runner Emmelie Scholtens jumped ahead with a score of 74.581. Both riders will compete in the final after securing guaranteed berths.

Group F rounded out the qualifying round of competition, saving its most impressive scores for the final moments. Penultimate rider Pauline Basquin from host nation France rode for a 73.711, then the group’s best score. But it was Von Bredow-Werndl who brought qualifying to an explosive finish, executing a nearly flawless routine to earn a staggering 82.065. Her score saw her jump nearly a point and a half above Laudrup-Dufour and marked her as the clear favorite to defend her gold medal in the individual final on Aug. 4. 

American Steffen Peters struggled in qualifying and will not be moving on to the final round.

RESULTS