TRYON, United States, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Germany's Ingrid Klimke kept her nerves to grab the lead after the cross country competition of the eventing at the World Equestrian Games which was struck by Hurricane Florence on Saturday.
Klimke, second overnight after dressage, made it look easy as she and her SAP Hale Bob OLD flew the 5,700m course in a perfect time of 10:00 minutes.
Now the German carries a penalty score of just 23.30 from the dressage stage and is untouchable with the last event of jumping to come.
"He (SAP Hale Bob OLD) was just so full of himself today," the European champion said. "He was very fast in the beginning, he really wanted to run."
However, Klimke's teammate Julia Krajewski, the runaway leader after the dressage, had problems in cross country and faded to the 47th overall. Germany slipped back to sixth in the team standings.
Britain's Rosalind Canter also hit stride as she and Allstar B improved from third to second overall, following a swift, flawless cross country run. Now her total penalty score is 24.60.
Britain currently remain favorites for team gold with Canter leading the charge and another two riders making top 10 on the standings.
"It was quite a rollercoaster out there," said the 32-year-old Canter. "I knew I had to be fast and that's out of my comfort zone."
Ireland have never won a team medal at the Games but with two riders sitting in the top seven, that could all be about to change. Sarah Ennis of Ireland was placed third with a penalty score of 26.30.
"I can't believe we are actually here," Ennis said, with Ireland sitting second in the team standings. "He (Horseware Stellor Rebound) finds it very easy and he's very fast. I think there might be a few drinks tonight."
Two Frenchmen, Lieutenant Colonel Thibaut Vallette and Astier Nicolas sit fourth and fifth behind Ennis, hauling the French up into third overall.
The Games, which started on Tuesday, was hit by Hurricane Florence when it made landfall in the US state of North Carolina early Friday, with howling 90 mph (144 km/h) winds and also bringing heavy rain. At least five people have been killed so far in the aftermath of the hurricane.
The latest weather forecast from the National Weather Service, which has an onsite weather station at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, shows heavy rain will come down through Sunday.
Organizers have already decided to move Sunday's jumping phase to Monday, something leader Klimke is certainly relaxed about.
"I think the horses will like it," she said. "Another day of vacation."
Alex Hua Tian, the only Chinese rider in eventing, finished with a time of 10 minutes 24 seconds with his horse Boris and improved to 51st overall after dressage and cross country.
"I'm quite happy with the result. Boris looked inexperienced in the beginning and a little bit tired at the end, but he kept fighting and I trust him," said Hua, who won a bronze medal in the just-ended Jakarta Asian Games.
"It's unusual (to postpone the competition), and it's nice for the horse because we want to make sure he is not so tired. But Boris can also become stiffer after two days' rest, so we must make the horse feel comfortable and happy, and hopefully Boris can be fresh into the jumping event," he added.
The World Equestrian Games, held every four years in the middle of the Olympic cycle, is the biggest equestrian event featuring eight disciplines of jumping, dressage, eventing, the Paralympic discipline of Para-equestrian dressage, as well as driving, endurance, vaulting and reining.
The inaugural World Equestrian Games was hosted in Stockholm, Sweden in 1990. The 2018 Games offer qualifying slots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
