Equestrian Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have announced the roster of Team Canada equestrian jumping athletes nominated to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Athletes:

Jumping

Alternate Athlete (Travelling):
Athlete: Tiffany Foster (Langley, B.C.)
Horse: Battlecry
Owner: Artisan Farms
Groom: Kaytlyn Brown

To be eligible to participate in the Paris 2024 equestrian competitions, the selected athlete-horse combinations must have achieved the Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MER) at selected events during the qualification period. The athletes each qualified for Team Canada based on their performance results during the jumping qualification period of Jan. 1, 2023 – June 24, 2024.

43-year-old Ballard, who is currently the second highest-ranked female show jumper in the world, has been representing Canada on Nations Cup teams since 2006. Her first time riding for Team Canada at a Major Games came at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. Paris 2024 will mark her Olympic debut. She has seen an impressive career surge in the months leading up to being nominated to Paris 2024. In May, she won her first-ever 5* Grand Prix title. She then recorded 11 podium finishes in 4* and 5* Fédération Equestre International (FEI) competitions, with six instances of taking both first and second place.

“Every young athlete dreams of going to the Olympics, so this is really a dream come true,” said Ballard. “This is more than just a dream for me. This year belongs to everyone that has supported me and believed in me my whole career. I was able to qualify four horses with four different owners, but only one horse can go. This belongs to everyone. I have an exceptional team behind me and I couldn’t do it without them. To all the horses and all the people that have made this a reality, thank you.”

Paris 2024 will mark the veteran Deslauriers’ fourth Olympic Games appearance, having made his Olympic debut at Los Angeles 1984, where he finished fourth in both the individual and the team jumping events. Also in 1984, at the age of 19, Deslauriers became the first Canadian and the youngest rider to ever win the World Cup Final, a record he still holds today. Forty years later and at age 59, Deslauriers continues to consistently perform at the highest levels of the sport, having represented Canada as the sole jumping competitor at Tokyo 2020, in numerous Nations Cups, as well as contributing to the team jumping silver medal that Team Canada won at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

A seasoned competitor, Millar, 47, made her international debut with the Canadian Jumping Team in 1999 at the age of 22. Since that time she has played a key role in Canada’s victories in Nations Cups, typically riding the anchor position, just as her father Ian Millar had done in his many years riding for Canada. She made her Olympic debut at Rio 2016 where she was part of Canada’s fourth-place finish in the team jumping event. In her first Pan American Games appearance at Santiago 2023, Amy placed sixth individually along with winning team silver. 

Taking on his first Games in a new role – Chef D’Équipe for the jumping team – Ian Millar holds the record for the most Olympic appearances of any athlete in the world, having competed in ten Olympic Games from Munich 1972 to London 2012. Known as “Captain Canada,” he achieved his best result at Beijing 2008, winning team silver riding In Style. His vast experience and leadership promise to inspire and guide the team to podium-worthy performances.

“After an excellent result with the team silver medal at the Pan American Games, we are looking forward to the next step for the jumping team in Paris,” said James Hood, Director of High Performance at Equestrian Canada. “With Chef D’Équipe Ian Millar and an incredible support team on the ground, we are hoping the team will have the best opportunity to perform. As part of the team around the team, the owners and supporters will also be in place at Games and at home to cheer on Team Canada! We are very appreciative of all the help we have received from coaches, owners, grooms/staff and families that make this possible.”

Team Canada has won seven Olympic medals across the three equestrian disciplines, with jumping achieving the highest medal count at five. That includes an individual silver on home soil at Montreal 1976, individual gold and team silver at Beijing 2008, and the most recent equestrian medal won, an individual bronze at Rio 2016.

Equestrian events will take place July 27 to August 6 (Day 1 to 11) at the Château de Versailles venue beginning with eventing, which will run July 27-29. Dressage follows from July 30 to August 4 and jumping will be the final discipline between August 1-6.

Team Canada’s dressage and eventing teams will be announced at a later date.

‘’This sport truly embodies the essence of unity. The rider and their horse must be in perfect harmony to achieve excellence, and that is precisely what Team Canada’s equestrian jumping team has accomplished to earn their place in Paris. Their achievements demonstrate not only the riders’ mastery and patience, but also the exceptional strength and power of their horses,‘’ said Bruny Surin, Team Canada’s Paris 2024 Chef de Mission.

Team Canada’s equestrian team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games also includes the following :

Ian Millar (Perth, Ont.) – Chef D’Équipe – Jumping
James Hood (Edmonton, Alta.) – Team Leader
Karen Hendry-Ouellette (Kemptville, Ont.) – Team Manager, Jumping
Eduardo Felix (Brussels, Belgium) – Veterinarian, Jumping
Melanie McLearon (Orillia, Ont.) – Media Attaché 

Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organizations.

The latest Team Canada Paris 2024 roster can be found here.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Melanie McLearon, Director, Marketing & Communications
Equestrian Canada
C: 705-955-7899
E: mmclearon@equestrian.ca

Tara MacBournie, Program Manager, Sport Communications
Canadian Olympic Committee
C: 647-522-8328
E: tmacbournie@olympic.ca

(Source: Media Release, Equestrian Canada & Canadian Olympic Committee, Toronto, ON, June 26, 2024; Photo: Equestrian Canada & COC)