A German coach has been kicked out of the Olympics for punching a horse that refused to jump and cost its rider a medal shot
- A German coach has been thrown out of the Olympics for punching a horse that refused to jump.
- Modern pentathlon coach Kim Raisner hit the horse backstage before Annika Schleu started her ride.
- Schleu couldn't get the horse to jump, leading her to score a zero and lose any chance of a medal.
A German coach has been thrown out of the Tokyo Olympics after punching a horse during the modern pentathlon event on Friday.
The coach, Kim Raisner, hit the horse as she tried to cajole to jump during the show jumping portion of the five-event competition.
Ridden by Annika Schleu, the horse, Saint Boy, refused to jump over many fences, causing Schleu to score a zero.
A tearful Schleu was forced to trot aimlessly around the showjumping arena, seemingly unable to make the horse do anything she wanted it to.
In doing so, gold-medal favorite Schleu dropped from first position to eventually finish 31st.
Raisner is believed to have been seen hitting the horse before Schleu entered the showjumping arena, leading to her expulsion from the games, which means she cannot assist during the men's pentathlon competition Saturday.
In a statement, the executive board (EB) of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) said: "The EB reviewed video footage that showed Ms Raisner appearing to strike the horse Saint Boy, ridden by Annika Schleu, with her fist during the riding discipline of the women's modern pentathlon competition.
"Her actions were deemed to be in violation of the UIPM competition rules, which are applied to all recognized modern pentathlon competitions including the Olympic Games.
Uncooperative horses cause chaos
To ensure fairness during the modern pentathlon, competitors aren't allowed to bring their own horses - they must ride a horse randomly assigned to them 20 minutes before they compete.
On Friday, this led to chaos in the arena, with several horses simply refusing to do as they were asked, and some even throwing off their riders.
One athlete, Italy's Elena Micheli, was thrown twice from her mount Cristbal 21, which at one point ran straight through a fence without stopping.
In total, six competitors in the women's pentathlon scored a zero in the horseriding part of the event, leading many in the sport to complain.
Speaking on Irish TV, former Olympic pentathlete Hugh Forde said: "To be quite frank, it's not good enough.
"Those horses have been tested around those tracks, but that behavior from that animal, you would expect a higher standard at this level," Forde said. "It's too cruel."