HONG KONG -- Germany took double gold Tuesday night at the Shatin Equestrian Venue here in the team and individual eventing equestrian competitions.
After a tight fight with Australia and Great Britain, Germany' s three-day eventing team won the first gold medal of the Olympic equestrian events. Australia took the silver while Britain got the bronze.
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German gold medal team (L-R) Peter Thomson, Andreas Dibowski, Hinrich Romeike, Ingrid Klimke and Frank Ostholt pose with their medals for the equestrian eventing competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong August 13, 2008. [Agencies]
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Germany finished on 166.10 penalty points, ahead of Australia's 171.20, and Britain's 185.70.
After German eventing team took the first gold, Germany's top rider Hinrich Romeike, riding Marius, won the Olympic Games equestrian individual eventing gold medal Tuesday night. Romeike finished on 54.20 penalty points ahead of US rider Gina Miles on 56.10 points. Kristina Cook of Great Britain secured third place on 57.40 points.
In an interview with reporters, Romeike said "There were our Games. Everything went right. I have been so happy with team gold. That had been my dream."
On his horse Marius's performance, Romeike said "I brought him up from a young horse and every year he does something fantastic for me. He is my friend".
The victory holds special meaning for the German team because their show jumping gold medal in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games was stripped after the International Equestrian Federation announced it had disqualified rider Ludger Beerbaum and horse Goldever for a doping offense and awarded the gold medal to the United States.
Meanwhile, U.S. rider Gina Miles, silver medalist, said "It's unbelievable, it's like a dream come true, it's just the most amazing result."
For her part, British rider Cook, Bronze medalist, said "I can hardly speak. I didn't expect it. It's fantastic...a dream come true."
Three-day eventing combines the dressage, cross-country and jumps.