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August 20, 2004 3:35 pm

U.S. equestrian team optimistic

By MIKE PRATER

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece - The optimism is high and the news is good for the United States Olympic show jumping team, which opens three days of competition Sunday at the Markopoulo Equestrian Centre.

Team medals will be determined Tuesday. Individual medalists will be decided with two final rounds of competition Friday.

``We all have very high expectations because we have one of the best teams we've had in a number of years,'' said McLain Ward of Brewster, N.Y. ``Anything less than a (team) medal would be a disappointment.''

Ward, 28, is riding Sapphire, a 9-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare who has been in Europe the past two months.

``She's a very talented horse. She lacks experience, but she's gifted physically, and she makes up for her shortcomings with a lot of enthusiasm,'' Ward said.

The rest of the U.S. team includes top medal hopeful Chris Kappler (Flemington, N.J.) on Royal Kaliber, Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) on Authentic, Peter Wylde (Holsteiner, Holland) on Fein Cera and Alison Firestone (Upperville, Va.) on Casanova.

In Olympic equestrian, men and women compete together. Show jumping consists of an obstacle-style course, and rider/horse are penalized for knocking down barriers such as fences, gates and walls.

The U.S. has not won an individual jumping gold medal since Joe Fargis and Touch of Class in 1984, and it has not won any medal since Norman Dello Joio and Irish took bronze in 1992. The last team medal was a silver in 1996.

Netherlands riders finished 1-2 in the individual competition in Sydney, while the Germans picked up team gold. The Germans, as usual, are strong again, but without their top hope.

Marcus Ehning, who is ranked No. 1 in the world, lost his Olympic ride after his horse, 18-year-old For Pleasure, came up with a ligament problem. German teammate Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum is ranked 10th in the world, but she also isn't in Athens after her mount, Shutterfly, tested positive for a tranquilizer.

Other top medal contenders include France, Brazil, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and Sweden. There will be approximately 90 competitors from 27 countries competing at Markopoulo, which is one of the best venues in the world, Ward said.

``It has been phenomenal, just unbelievable,'' he said. ``I'd love to know what they spent on this venue. It's really quite phenomenal.''

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