Rio Olympics 2016: Great Britain win team dressage silver, Germany take gold
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Hosts: Rio de Janeiro Dates: 5-21 August Rio time: BST -4 |
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Defending champions Great Britain won silver in the Olympic team dressage, as world champions Germany claimed gold.
The British quartet - Spencer Wilton, Fiona Bigwood, Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin - were beaten into second by 3.334 points.
Germany's Sonke Rothenberger, Dorothee Schneider, Kristina Broring-Sprehe and Isabell Werth scored 81.936 points, with Britain on 78.602.
The United States won bronze, with the Netherlands fourth.
Dujardin will defend the individual title she won four years ago after qualifying for Monday's event on Valegro with the second highest individual score.
"The last two rounds have been fantastic and it's a huge privilege to be riding alongside these guys," she said.
"We have new music for the freestyle, which will hopefully go to plan. I just want to go out there and enjoy myself and give Valegro a good time."
The 31-year-old has now won three Olympic medals - two golds and one silver.
She said: "I'm really proud and we did our best. We knew it was going to be tough to get the gold as the Germany team was really strong."
Hester and Bigwood will also compete in the individual event, after scoring the ninth and 16th highest totals respectively.
Hester, 49, told BBC Sport: "It is a very elated feeling and we fought hard for this.
"These horses have travelled halfway across the world and the fact they can perform at this level is so incredible. We're very happy with how they have gone."
Four years ago, when teams consisted of three riders, Laura Bechtolsheimer joined Dujardin and Hester to win gold for Great Britain.
As she was in London, Dujardin was again on Valegro in Rio, with Hester on Nip Tuck, Bigwood riding Orthilla and Wilton on Super Nova II.
All three of Charlotte Dujardin's three Olympic dressage medals have come on Valegro
Germany's Isabell Werth, 47, scored the highest individual points total as she won her fifth team dressage gold medal after previous successes at the 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2008 Olympics
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