Phillip Dutton competes aboard Mighty Nice in the eventing team jumping final and individual qualifier at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Equestrian Centre on Aug. 9, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro
In his sixth Olympic Games, equestrian Phillip Dutton finally won the one piece of hardware he had been waiting for since his Olympic debut in 1996 — an individual medal.
Dutton, one of three six-time Olympians competing for Team USA in Rio, finished third in the eventing competition after posting only 4.00 in penalties in the individual jumping final on Tuesday at the Olympic Equestrian Center.
It marks his third career Olympic medal, adding to the team golds he won in 1996 and 2000 for Australia.
Dutton moved up in the ranking throughout the three-event competition, which began with the dressage portion on Saturday, Aug. 6. He totaled 43.60 penalty points, which placed him at 15th heading into the cross-country event.
Download the Team USA app today for breaking news, 2016 U.S. Olympic Team bios, videos and more.
Navigating the course with precision in cross-country, Dutton successfully cleared all barriers without penalty, but was awarded 3.20 points for not finishing within the allotted time allowance. Despite the penalty, his performance was enough to move into fifth place in the overall competition with one event remaining.
With a medal on the line, Dutton needed to clear all but one pole in the individual jumping final to secure the bronze. After only one point in time penalties during the first jumping round, Dutton and horse Mighty Nice only knocked down one pole in the second jumping round, thus securing third place.
Teammate Boyd Martin, aboard Blackfoot Mystery, finished 16th with a score of 70.90.
