Eric Lamaze and mare Fine Lady 5 win bronze medal in Olympic equestrian

RIO DE JANEIRO – Eric Lamaze has won a bronze medal in individual show jumping at the Rio Olympics.

The Schomberg, Ont., rider and his brown mare Fine Lady 5 knocked down one rail — the only one they missed in the entire Olympic competition — to finish third in a jump-off.

Defending champion Nick Skelton of Britain won gold aboard Big Star while Peder Fredricson of Sweden rode All In to silver.

Lamaze had ridden clear through all five rounds of the event to qualify for the six-rider jump-off.

Riding last after both Skelton and Fredricson had posted clean sheets, Lamaze had to be perfect and beat Skelton’s time of 42.82 seconds to capture his second career Olympic gold.

Once the rail fell, he was out of contention for the top spot.

Lamaze won gold eight years ago in Beijing aboard Hickstead, his beloved stallion who died of an aortic rupture in 2011.

Teammates Yann Candele of Caledon, Ont., and Tiffany Foster of North Vancouver, B.C., did not advance to the jump-off.