Sir Mark Todd has become the longest-serving Olympian in New Zealand history after being selected to compete in his eighth Olympic games. "I am very happy with my horses at the moment and the strong team that has been named," said Sir Mark from the team announcement in Berkshire, England. His great influence in the New Zealand eventing scene is also evident in the selection of 29-year-old Clarke Johnstone, whom Sir Mark has mentored since they competed alongside each other at the 2010 World Equestrian Games. "To go to Rio and try to win a medal for New Zealand has been my number one focus for the last four years, so to be one step closer again is really, really exciting. I can't wait," said Johnstone. Jock Paget and Jonelle Price complete the New Zealand eventing squad - with Jonelle's husband Tim Price named as the travelling reserve and veteran equestrian Blyth Tait the non-travelling reserve. A notable name missing from the squad but an exclusion which has been signalled in the last few weeks is Andrew Nicholson. At the London Olympics - both Sir Mark and Andrew Nicholson were sitting on a New Zealand record of competing in seven Olympic Games. However, Sir Mark had been selected for Atlanta in 1996 and was unable to compete because of an injury to his horse just before competition. He was also selected for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow which the New Zealand team then went on to boycott. Andrew Nicholson missed out on selection for Rio 2016 amid an ongoing stoush with Equestrian Sport New Zealand that has seen him left out of the High Performance squad. He was removed from the squad following an altercation with the team veterinarian at the World Equestrian Games in 2014. Nicholson suffered a neck injury while competing in the British Festival of Eventing in Gatcombe in August 2015 and his recovery has further hampered his chances of getting back into the team. Three of his London 2012 teammates who won bronze at the London 2012 Olympics will feature again at the Rio Olympics. However, changes to the eventing format for Rio means that the team will be made up of four riders instead of five - and only one score can be discounted after each round instead of two as it was previously. The New Zealand team's toughest competition will come from Germany, Great Britain and France. Sir Mark has also been working as a coach with the Brazilian national eventing team in the lead-up to Rio 2016.
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