Olympics|The Finnish dressage Olympic team far exceeded expectations.
One one of the most impressive achievements of Finnish athletes in Paris so far was seen on the equestrian field of the Palace of Versailles.
Emma Kanerva and his horse Greek Air pounded the dressage individual final with a handsome record score of 81.607. Only the very tops reach a result of over 80 percent, so it was a key success.
“Now my heart rate has already dropped a bit, and I’m a little bit back on the surface of the earth,” Kanerva said laughing from his stable after the race.
The result improved considerably from the qualification (73.680). After the final performance, Kanerva vented freely and clapped Greek Air happily.
“A great result in a great place. It couldn’t be any better. My thoughts were all messed up, and I was just happy with this situation,” Kanerva said.
Kanerva was 12th in the final results, the scorer narrowly escaped.
Equestrian team has performed under the leadership of Kanerva in Paris. For a long time, Finland also participated in the dressage team finals, where it previously took eighth place.
“This has been a great experience and the whole time here has been incredibly rewarding. The goals were high, but they were exceeded. It’s a great feeling. These games were awaited for a long time and a lot of work was done for them. Now there was an award for that.”
Kanerva characterizes the final performance as flawless. If there were small details to be filed from the previous tracks, now everything went smoothly. Kanerva said that the tension was gone when the long-term goal, i.e. the place in the final, was already in the pocket.
“It was absolutely amazing to ride today. I just went to enjoy. I tried to ride focused, precise and have fun. The horse worked really well. It’s been great all week and getting better day by day.”
Greek Air enjoyed the fun environment.
“Its ego has grown day by day,” Kanerva laughed.
“He probably went to his favorite castle park now, to the scenery suitable for his rank. It’s a really tricky guy and a clown and comes up with some things of his own. Now it has improved on the track, taken it seriously and played sports.”
His career in the peak moment, Kanerva wanted to thank the whole large group of supporters who have accompanied Hyvinkää along the way from the early days until today. The home team is currently in Germany, where the trip will take place after the Olympics.
There, Greek Air also gets a festive treatment after some great performances.
“Get a well-deserved vacation, massage, grooming and all the fun. Let’s forget about dressage for a moment, so that we can spend the horse life and enjoy being around, good treatments, tenderness and love”, Kanerva mused.
Finland’s best Olympic achievements in horse riding are fifth places. They have been able to do that Hans Olof von Essen in the field competition 1928 and Kyra Kyrklund in dressage no less than three times in 1980, 1988, 1992.
The story was updated throughout on August 4, 2024 at 6:34 p.m.
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