The Paris Olympic Games' jumping team final will feature just nine teams this afternoon, after Mexico withdrew from the competition due to a veterinary issue.
The Mexican team had secured a place in the final by finishing 10th in Thursday's qualifier. However, they were forced to pull out after Carlos Hank Guerreiro's horse, Porthos Maestro WH Z, was deemed unfit to compete. Unfortunately, Mexico was unable to replace the horse as one of their other mounts, Contendros 2 ridden by Andres Azcarraga, had failed the inspection on Wednesday, leaving them without a suitable reserve. Their remaining reserve pair, Federico Fernandez and Romeo, were already part of the team.
The withdrawal, which occurred within two hours of the 2 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET) competition start, prevented the 11th ranked team, Spain, from taking Mexico's place in the final.
The US team is set to compete in the same order as yesterday. Laura Kraut and Baloutinue will be the eighth pair to go, followed by Karl Cook and Carcacole De La Roque in 17th position, and finally McLain Ward and Ilex in 27th.
The Chronicle has a reporter on the ground at the Paris Olympics, providing comprehensive coverage of the games. You can find all our coverage here.
For all our show jumping coverage, visit our dedicated section.
See the full results of the event here.