Kuerten gears up for medal bid

Jessica Kuerten will be the second last to compete in this evening's individual show jumping final at Athens' Markopoulo centre after a stunning clear round on ten-year-old mare Castle Forbes Maike earlier.

The course was altered for the final round which is already underway, featuring an incredibly difficult triple oxer for the fifth jump.

The marked overall difficulty was highlighted when three early riders were eliminated – two for two refusals and one for missing part of the second jump.

The first rider to go, Korea’s Joo Jung-Hyun, was forced out after his horse Epsom refused at the fifth and eighth, while Italian Vincenzo Chimirri’s Delfi Platiere refused at the fifth twice.

Brazilian Alvaro Miranda Neto was eliminated for failing to jump between two flags on the second obstacle.

After seeing none of the seven riders before him come away with a combined score of under 20, Smith entered the arena with a chance to put himself at the top of the standings.

And the 43-year-old son of former show jumping great Harvey Smith produced a brave round on Mr Springfield to record the best result at that stage, knocking down just one pole on the middle obstacle of the almost impossible fifth jump.

The brilliant round put him on a combined score of 12 faults.

Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil showed the course could be tamed however when he became the first rider to go clear.

Riding stallion Baloubet Du Rouet the Brazilian produced a sparking display of jumping to put himself in the lead with only eight penalties.

At the half-way stage in the competition Pessoa was out on his own in front with three riders behind him on 12 penalty points in Smith, Dirk Demeersman of Belgium and Swede Peder Fredericson.