Tokyo 2020 - German coach Kim Raisner thrown out of Olympics for punching reluctant horse Saint Boy

ByMartyn Thomas

Updated 07/08/2021 at 09:16 GMT

Saint Boy made headlines on Friday when it refused to jump during the modern pentathlon, leaving German athlete Annika Schleu in tears as her dreams of gold disappeared. Now a German coach has been sent home from the Olympics for striking the animal. "Her actions were deemed to be in violation of the UIPM competition rules," said the governing body.

Germany’s modern pentathlon coach Kim Raisner has been disqualified from the remainder of the Olympic Games after she punched a horse, Saint Boy.

Raisner had been attempting to help Annika Schleu, who went into Friday’s show jumping round leading the women’s modern pentathlon event, control Saint Boy.

The horse had already proved a difficult ride for a previous athlete and bucked and refused to trot around the course as Schleu was reduced to tears.

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Modern pentathlon athletes are given just 20 minutes to get to grips with an unfamiliar horse ahead of the show jumping round and the German was ultimately powerless as her gold medal hopes disappeared.

Concerns about the treatment of Saint Boy were raised on social media during Friday’s event, and were acknowledged by the UIPM, the sport’s world governing body, ahead of the conclusion of the men’s event on Saturday.

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The UIPM subsequently released a statement that confirmed that Raisner, a former Olympian who competed at Athens 2004, had been disqualified from the Games.

The statement read: “The UIPM Executive Board (EB) has given a black card to the Germany team coach Kim Raisner, disqualifying her from the remainder of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“The EB reviewed video footage that showed Ms Raisner appearing to strike the horse Saint Boy, ridden by Annika Schleu (GER), with her fist during the Riding discipline of the Women’s Modern Pentathlon competition.

“Her actions were deemed to be in violation of the UIPM Competition Rules, which are applied to all recognised Modern Pentathlon competitions including the Olympic Games.

“The EB decision was made today at the Tokyo Stadium before the resumption of the Men’s Modern Pentathlon competition.”

The women’s modern pentathlon was won by Kate French, who became only Great Britain’s second gold medallist in the event after Stephanie Cook at Sydney 2000.

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