Brits out of showjumping medals (From Oxford Mail)

Brits out of showjumping medals

4:26pm Wednesday 8th August 2012 in National Sport News © Press Association 2013

Scott Brash and Nick Skelton missed out on medals as Switzerland's Steve Guerdat won the individual Olympic showjumping gold at Greenwich Park.

There was heartache for 54-year-old British star Skelton, who would have forced a jump-off with Guerdat had he gone clear.

But one fence down - the first his brilliant stallion Big Star has had in six rounds of jumping across team and individual competitions in London - cost him a medal and his two British gold medal-winning colleagues Brash and Ben Maher also missed out on medals.

Skelton led going into the final showjumping round in Athens eight years ago, but eight faults there relegated him from first to 12th.

His wait for an individual showjumping medal goes on, as does Britain's, with Ann Moore and Psalm the last combination to collect one when they took silver in Munich 40 years ago.

Skelton told BBC 1: "It's one of those things. He hasn't touched a jump all week, and that was the worst time to hit one.

"I've been there before. It's the same thing again. What can you do? He is still a great horse. He's still fresh - he could go again. He was unlucky. It wasn't meant to be."

Six riders carried zero faults into the final individual round, including last-to-go Skelton and Brash, but only Guerdat kept everything up.

Holland's Gerco Schroder beat Ireland Cian O'Connor in a jump-off for silver and bronze.