Portuguese rider Rita Ralan Duarte finished eighth in Group F of the individual and team dressage competitions at the 2024 Paris Games on Wednesday, confirming the modest results of Portugal, which will miss the team final.
Rita Ralan Duarte, riding Iran, scored 68,261 points, the best result of the three Portuguese riders, but the 201,801 points scored by the Portuguese team was not enough to guarantee a place among the 10 teams that qualified for the final.
In a qualifying round in which the top two riders from each of the six groups guaranteed their participation in the individual final, to which the six best results were added, António do Vale on Fine Fellow – H, who lost to João Moreira due to a health problem with his horse, was the first to compete on Tuesday, finishing eighth in Group B with 66,910 points.
Hit Plus’ Maria Caetano, the only Portuguese woman with Olympic experience, competed in Group C and also finished eighth with a score of 66.630.
Having finished the first day in provisional sixth place, Portugal, which has only one rider left this Wednesday, Rita Ralan Duarte, missed the final, finishing the race in 12th place.
The team final (Grand Prix Special) is scheduled for Saturday, the day before the individual dressage final (Grand Prix Freestyle).
Portugal had already won a bronze medal in the team competition in London 1948, returning to the final at Tokyo 2020 after Helsinki 1952.