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Rio Olympics - William Fox-Pitt finishes 12th in individual eventing competition while Bryony Shaw seek improvements on Tuesday

William Fox-Pitt produced two flawless showjumping performances on the final day of the Rio eventing competition but missed out on two medals on Tuesday evening.

Despite being less than a year removed from an induced coma following a nasty fall at a competition in France, the Canterbury-raised rider led after the first of the three disciplines - the dressage - but a run-past by Chilli Morning on the 20th jump of the cross-country on Monday ultimately cost him dear.

William Fox-Pitt
William Fox-Pitt

The 20 penalty points and 10.4 time points incurred as a result of the mistake saw him tumble down to start the final day in 22nd and effectively end any chances of a medal in either the individual or team eventing competition.

However the Goodnestone rider - competing in his fifth Olympics - produced an immaculate showing for a double-clear round on Tuesday afternoon which helped GB to finish fifth in the team event, with France claiming the gold, and ensuring he would take part in the final round of showjumping for the top-25.

Another superb round saw him go clear again to climb to 12th, but just 26.5pts behind German Michael Jung in Gold, with silver winner Astier Nicholas of France less than 20pts ahead of the 47-year-old Brit.

Fox-Pitt reflected: "With a bit more luck we would have been up there, we just didn't have that luck with us.

"It is a very up and down sport and we had a down day yesterday. It was very, very expensive and very disappointing.

"It is very exciting for the future with the young horses we have in what is a very strong team. Maybe it is going to be Tokyo 2020 for us. i keep on dreaming."

Tunbridge Wells windsurfer Bryony Shaw was tipped for a medal in the RS:X class but endured a frustrating opening day on Monday with finishes of 7th, 20th and 9th to lie 10th overall overnight and was unable to improve on that standing on Tuesday.

She added finishes of 7th, 14th and 12th in the fourth, fifth and sixth of the 13-race series to lie 10th overall going into the competition's rest day on Wednesday.

Shaw said: "I was on pace in the first race and I managed to get up into third position (but) it is really, really tight racing so I ended seventh. It went from a good race to an average race instantly.

“I felt off pace when the wind dropped, which is odd for me. It was very shifty and tricky out there as well and I found myself on the wrong side of a few of those too.

“We have spent plenty of time here before; we know the race tracks. I don’t think it is worth over analysing it too much but hopefully there are areas we can gain and start improving through the week.

“The next course is out on Niteroi so out in the waves and maybe my performance will improve out there.

“It is really variable. I feel like I have been close on both days to a couple of good races. I was second on day one in a race and caught a bag on my fin and ended up ninth. I just feel a bit off pace.”

Kent stars helped the GB women's hockey team make it two wins from two in Rio with a convincing victory against India on Monday night.

After a superb opening win against Australia, Canterbury star Susannah Townsend was joined in the starting line-up by Holcombe players Shona McCallin and Sam Quek with star keeper Maddie Hinch between the posts.

Susannah Townsend and Sam Quek Picture: Ady Kerry
Susannah Townsend and Sam Quek Picture: Ady Kerry

Their teammate at the Rochester club Nic White came off the bench and was crucial in breaking down a stubborn Indian defence in a game which GB were always expected to win with ease.

It took 25 minutes for the breakthrough to arrive when Giselle Ansley fired home low from a penalty corner and it was White who got the final touch in a goalmouth scramble less than two minutes later to put the Brits into a commanding lead.

Townsend set-up chances for Alex Danson early and Laura Unsworth after the break with typically barnstorming runs and it was Danson who netted the final goal, her 95th in international hockey, three minutes into the second half after good work from Lily Owsley.

Hinch was called on late in the game to preserve her clean-sheet with a couple of good saves, the final one coming from a one-on-one in the final 10 seconds.

Quek admitted: “We knew India would be tough, they like being in contact and short, close skills so we tried to keep out of range, play our game and not get pulled into their tempo.

“We’re taking it game by game. The fact we have six points is the perfect start. Every game is tough but we have to grind results out and then once we get to the quarters we need to reassess.

"I had a different kind of nerves ahead of the first game as it was my first Olympic match but today was like any other game.”

“We’ve come off social media to keep in our own bubble and concentrate on ourselves."

The GB girls return to action on Wednesday against Argentina (5.30pm BST) while the men secured their first win at the third time of asking when they face hosts Brazil on Tuesday night.

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