Equestrian: Todd cleared to ride for medal

After a nervous wait, Mark Todd can challenge for a third Olympic equestrian gold medal on Friday at his last ever three-day event.

His horse, Eyespy II, has cleared the final veterinary inspection allowing Todd, who won back to back Olympic gold medals with Charisma in 1984 and 1988, to compete in the final show-jumping round of the individual event at Horsley Park.

Todd trotted his horse past before the ground jury once on Friday morning, but they and the course veterinarian held a lengthy discussion before asking Todd to run the horse by them again.

He did, and Eyespy was cleared to carry on.

Going into the showjumping, Todd is third on Eyespy II, two showjumping rails behind American David O'Connor and 1.6 points behind Greek Heidi Antikatzidis.

Todd must ride clear to have any chance of winning, or saving the bronze medal as he has four riders within one rail of him.

Current-leader O'Connor said Mark Todd had ridden event horses to a level other riders could only dream of.

A long-time friend, O'Connor said Todd would retire the best eventer the world had seen.

Ironically O'Connor leads Todd in the Sydney Olympics three-day event by a ten-point cushion with the final phase the showjumping to be held.

``There's a time for everyone. Mark had his time. There's no question that he was the rider of the century in this sport,'' he said.

``He rode, when he was on his game, at a different level than other people.

``I think we're going to miss that.''

While Sydney will definitely be Todd's farewell, 1996 Olympic champion Blyth Tait is having a rethink.

Before the Games, Tait had said he would definitely ride until the next world championships, but might not compete at another Olympics.

But after retiring on Welton Envoy in the cross country yesterday, he said it might be time to reconsider.

``Maybe I'll regroup, get some young horses and look to Greece in four years time.

``I'd thought maybe these would be my last Olympics. But the way I've finished these ones I'm thinking to myself I'll have to go four more years and go out on a better note than this.''

Tait said he was very disappointed at losing his Olympics title by not even finishing the three-day event.

- NZPA