Ladies in waiting

A woman is yet to claim individual Olympic gold in either eventing or showjumping. Andrea Oakes investigates the reasons behind this

- Andrea Oakes

THEY dominate in Olympic dressage, but where are the women at the top of the podium in showjumping and eventing? It’s a little-known fact that there has never yet been a female Olympic individual gold medallist in either of these two disciplines. A few riders have come close, including Sweden’s Sara Algotsson Ostholt, who had to settle for individual eventing silver in London in 2012 after rolling a pole at the last fence in the final phase, and women have appeared on winning teams. But even if we only go back as far as the 1964 Games (the first time that females were permitted to compete in Olympic eventing, eight years after the doors opened to them in showjumping), that’s still 14 consecutive male victories in each discipline.

Considering that the current world champions in dressage, showjumping and eventing are all female, it’s an interesting anomaly. But many believe it’s purely down to numbers. Because male competitors outnumber females in the top 100 world rankings in these sports, fewer women reach selection to stand a chance of winning a medal. This is certainly true in showjumping, where females comprise fewer than 20% of the top 100, and only five females have taken home an individual Olympic medal of any colour.

Dr Kate Dashper, an associate professor at Leeds Beckett University, has identified further factors: “Lack of an individual Olympic gold is, in part, related to the prestige of the event,” she explains. “Once we get to selection, the processes are strict and are based not only on performance, but also on networks.