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Germans Net Show Jumping Gold

CONYERS, Ga. -- It came down to the last rider in the Olympic equestrian show jumping team competition. Unfortunately for the U.S. team, that rider was the world's best -- Germany's Ludger Beerbaum.

Thanks to Beerbaum, who won individual gold at the 1992 Games, Germany won the team event with just 1.75 time faults. He was aboard Ratina, the horse who won the silver in Barcelona.

The United States won the silver medal with 12 faults and Brazil took the bronze with 17.25.

The U.S. team needed Beerbaum to drop three jumps, but that was asking too much. He and Ratina had a near-perfect performance.

In a day filled with drama and rain, German leadoff rider Franke Sloothaak fell aboard Joly and cut an artery in his wrist. His teammates responded with three clear trips in the first round and less than one time fault. Sloothaak got his wrist stitched and returned in the second round.

The Americans tried hard to keep stride, starting off with two clear rounds by Peter Leone of Greenwich, Conn., on Legato and Leslie Burr Howard of Westport, Conn., on Extreme.

But then Anne Kursinski of Flemington, N.J., picked up eight faults on Eros, and Michael Matz added four more on Rhum.

Since Beerbaum followed Matz, the issue was all but settled.

``It's one thing to make the team and another to put a zero on the board for the USA,'' Leone said.

Howard moved up from the team low score of 14 in the first round to a clear in the second round on Extreme.

``It wasn't pretty, but I forgot finesse and got the job done,'' she said. ``I had to fight the whole way, 1,200 pounds against 120.''

An inch of rain and a two-hour weather delay interrupted the first round, and the water jump actually had to be bailed out.

Matz and Rhum were the remaining U.S. pair after the delay and might have wished more rain had been hauled from the jump. Rhum's one foot in the water cost 4 faults.

``I wish I had an excuse,'' Matz said. ``Usually Rhum's a good water jumper. A clear round at that point would have helped.''

Kursinski kept the U.S. team alive at that point with a clean round aboard Eros.