Well as you read this you will know the results and what happened - but we will bring you some of the behind the scenes stories.

In the final two tests showjumping it was still "anyone's race" and the final lineup held many surprises which were both good and bad surprises!

Olaf's track for the first round stunned many of the top riders and the comments made were "we expected big, no doubt about that, this is the Olympic Games, but we didn't expect it to be as technical as this" - so when riders were expressing these observations, we knew,as the armchair critics, that we were going to see troubles!

Twenty-nine for starters orders as we headed into the final test of this Olympic Games, for the Equestrian events and the start list shows us 16 nations -
Korea, would be celebrating already, regardless of the final outcome - they saw three of their riders through to the final day and this is a testament to the training program they have put in place. It was their goal to achieve great improvement and to get three combinations through to the final day would surely have exceeded even their greatest expectations.

Japan, have always been teetering near the top and did well at the World Games 2 years ago and for the final we see the Taizo Sugitani through tot he final day. Perhaps they would have hoped for more, but they are represented in the Top 30 in the world and that is excellent.

Italy, have been struggling on the Samsung Super League circuit this season and are looking like they may be the ones relegated next season, so they were hoping for a good result today - and with three riders through they would have been feeling a little more confident perhaps.

Canada have always been 'in there' but perhaps suffer a little from being the 'shirt tail' of the USA and today one of their most experienced riders went through to the final day, Captain Canada, Ian Millar and this is a rider who is no stranger at the Olympic level.

Brazil have been at the forefront of showjumping by way of former hero Nelson Pessoa, who is now considered the 'training maestro' and in recent times his son, Rodrigo has been carrying the Brazilian flag high with three World Cup wins to his credit and many of the top titles in the world - Rodrigo came to Sydney Olympics, in 2000, hoping to bring home the Gold medal that had always eluded his father but it was not to be and now he was hoping Athens would do it for him.

Argentina took one of the spots in the final and this is a nation we have not heard a great deal about in showjumping on the International stage and no doubt their rider will get a hero's welcome on his return home for his place in the final.

Great Britain did not qualify a team for this Olympics but they did gain two spots and both these riders went through to this final - Robert Smith, son of the great Harvey Smith and Nick Skelton who is only just returned to the International stage after a broken neck just 3 years ago. The pressure on Robert was not nearly as great as that on Nick with a stallion, considered to be one of the best in the world, Arko III.

Belgium have been a major force on the Samsung Super League Cup this season and they saw two of their riders through to the final, one of which was another the exciting stallions this season, Clinton and the other being the well experienced stallion Parco, by Darco - they would have been going in hopeful of a medal.

The USA were, in the past, major players in the sport of showjumping, but they slipped away as the sport changed some years ago - but not a nation to sit by and watch others succeed, they changed their collective thinking, many riders moved their base to Europe and they empoyed some of the best trainers in the world - then they purchased some of the top horses and set about making their comeback - and it has been a super comeback indeed. Their success at the World Games in 2000 saw Peter Wylde and Fein Cera in the medals but he was not in the final today but Chris Kappler and Ward McLain were there to make the USA bid for medals.

The Swiss fielded one of only two females through to the final, Christina Liebherr, and she rides a horse so brilliantly named NO MERCY - they would have been feeling the loss of Marcus Fuchs and Tinka's Boy in this final.

The big shock for Sweden was the absence of pin up girl Malin Baryard and her incredibly successful little mare Butterfly Flip who didn't get through to the final but they got two very successful combinations through with Rolf Goran-Bengtsson and Peder Fredericson. They were relegated last season from the Samsung Super League and would be hoping for success to boost their confidence.

Germany, holders of the Team Gold medal saw Ludger Beerbaum, Otto Becker and Marco Kutscher through to the final and the bookies had short odds for Ludger winning the Gold, so this was a rider with pressure on him, but he is no stranger to the Gold medal position and so no doubt the pressure was not going to get to him, nor to Otto Becker. Marco Kutscher, the rookie of the team has jumped exceptionally well and would also have been feeling quietly confident coming into this final round. The Germans have been holding their own on the Samsung Super League circuit as well.

The Netherlands, super competitive on the Samsung Super League circuit would not have been pleased with just the one through - no doubt Wim Schroder would have been feeling pressure to do well.

Denmark had the one contender through to the final, late entry to Athens, Thomas Velin and the super talented stallion Carnute and he was on the bookies list with many putting money on them for a medal.

New Zealand, a country who have been making enormous headway with a great number of very talented riders now based in Europe would have been celebrating their huge improvement by having one of their riders through to the final round of competition, Daniel Meech. I will have more to say on New Zealand at a later stage in this report.

Ireland - three riders through to the Final - and this is a result which delighted the Irish public after an International season fraught with politics and arguements between officialdom and riders in a fight which reached the evening news nightly for some time - but this team was not going to let this get in their way - and the three through to the Final included one of the only two women in this final, Jessica Kurten.