Germany took gold in the team competition, with an average of 81.936, over three points higher than Great Britain in second.
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The gold for Germany was their eighth Olympic team gold medal in the last nine Games.
It’s the Sark rider’s second Olympic medal, after winning the team gold at London 2012. The 40-year-old from Horsham, who overcame a fractured skull that impaired her vision two years ago to make her Olympic debut, saw deductions on her piaffe but posted a mark of 74.384% to keep Britain on course for silver.
Dujardin will still have the chance for individual gold. Her victory also moves her even with compatriot and former Olympic champion Reiner Klimke.
“It’s great to have another gold medal of course, that’s why we came here, to win”.
“The whole GB team has ridden beautifully and it’s quite a big margin from bronze”.
United States won bronze, with the Netherlands in fourth. “The elusive 80%”, an elated Graves said.
Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on. You just always hope your reflections match up with the judges. “I was happy to see my teammates so happy and then to have a personal best and a score I’ve been reaching for was just icing on the cake”. “I was crying my eyes out, it was just one of those absolutely awesome experiences”.
“Any medal we would have been very happy with because any Olympics produces a lot of nerves, different atmospheres and different rides”.
“This was much more than we expected”, said five-time Olympian Isabell Werth.
Dujardin, 31, had nabbed the top score in Thursday’s Grand Prix on Valegro, the powerful black horse she trained.
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Judy Reynolds has made history by becoming the first ever Irish rider to qualify for the individual freestyle final at an Olympic Games. Hester’s controlled, precise and flowing test produced a score of 76.485% and all but assured the British team the podium.
