Germany wins dressage gold over defending champs

The German team of Isabell Werth, Kristina Broring-Sprehe, Dorothee Schneider and Sonke Rothenberger posted a score of 81.936 percent, with the British team of Dujardin, Carl Hester, Spencer Wilton and Fiona Bigwood finishing on 78.602.

Isabell Werth of Germany celebrates her ride after defeating Brits.

Germany won gold in the dressage on Friday, edging out defending champion Britain despite another brilliant performance from Charlotte Dujardin.

The German team of Isabell Werth, Kristina Broring-Sprehe, Dorothee Schneider and Sonke Rothenberger posted a score of 81.936 percent, with the British team of Dujardin, Carl Hester, Spencer Wilton and Fiona Bigwood finishing on 78.602.

The United States was third on 76.667, with former hairdresser Laura Graves recording a personal best of 80.644 in her first Olympic Games.

The results are calculated using the average of the three best riders’ scores from each nation from Friday’s Grand Prix Special as well as the previous day’s Grand Prix.

Three of the top four finishers were German, with Dujardin posting the second highest score after an uncharacteristic error from her horse Valegro. The individual Olympic champion still managed a score of 83.025, with Werth achieving 83.711 on Weihegold Old.