Equestrian: Cashmore earns history-making reprieve

9.30pm

As the floodlights dimmed at Markopoulo Equestrian Centre in Athens early this morning there was lightness and joy for showjumper Grant Cashmore, not to a mention an Olympic first for for New Zealand.

Under an odd Games rule, New Zealander Cashmore found he had ridden into Friday's final when it was feared he had narrowly missed out.

After his horse Franklin's Flyte racked up 21 penalties in a final qualifying round held under floodlights, Cashmore waited anxiously to learn if he was among the 45 riders headed for the final.

It looked bleak when he finished 48th, then Olympic Games rules stating a nation can only have three athletes in a final rode to his rescue.

Gone was the 19th placed rider from team gold medallists Germany, and fourth rider from the United States (37th), Sweden (28th), the Netherlands (21st), Switzerland (41st) and Belgium (29th).

First round co-leader Cashmore was in, combining with Daniel Meech to give New Zealand a historic first of two riders in an Olympic showjumping final.

"We forgot about that (rule) after the first round," Meech told NZPA today, the day after he turned in two polished rounds to easily secure a final berth.

Coach Greg Best and manager Jeff McVean calculated after the evening round that Cashmore was probably safe, Meech said.

"It's great for New Zealand showjumping, it's a good achievement," Meech said.

"Grant went into the team as our fourth rider and he has come up to be in the running to get in the final 25, it's a great achievement for him."

On the other side of Athens this morning New Zealand triathlete Samantha Warriner was never in contention to win the women's race but put in a brave showing in sweltering conditions.

She was on track for a top-half finish in the 50-woman race after emerging 22nd from the swim and 18th from the tough cycling leg on the Vouliagmeni course.

Warriner was always considered an outside prospect, unlike the men's trio of Bevan Docherty, Hamish Carter and Nathan Richmond who all have designs on the podium after their race tomorrow.

World champion Docherty and Richmond are ranked in the world's top four while accomplished veteran Carter is determined to make up for a forgettable performance in Sydney four years ago.

The tougher the course, the better, according to standout hope Docherty.

"If we wanted to design a course that suited us, we couldn't do it any better," he said.

"It is a really fair course and definitely a true triathlete will win at the end of the day. I've worked hard on all three disciplines and I feel I'm starting to peak in all three."

The New Zealand medal tally still stands at two, courtesy of the golden double over the weekend from cyclist Sarah Ulmer and rowing duo Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell.

It nearly received a boost yesterday from track cyclist Greg Henderson, who lapped the field three times in the points race for 68 points, missing bronze by just 11.

Fourth place made up for his 12th at the world championships earlier this year but still hurt.

"My immediate reaction when I looked at the scoreboard was 'Awwwww..... fourth," he said.

"Then again fourth at the Olympic Games isn't really anything to be scoffed at."

Meanwhile, training resumed as normal this morning for the under-fire canoeing team of Ben Fouhy and Steven Ferguson.

Hoping to prepare for Friday's two finals without distraction, coach Ian Ferguson had to deflect accusations of nepotism following son Steven's go-slow in the K1 500m heats yesterday.

Former New Zealand representative Owen Hughes said the tactics devised by Ian and employed by Steven to finish dead last in the heats to best prepare for the K2 1000m final was an "embarrassment" to the sport and New Zealand.

The national K1 500m champion, Hughes said another paddler should have been selected for the event.

Ian Ferguson dismissed the criticism as sour grapes.

"You don't get selected so you make a whole pile of noise," he said.

- NZPA