After a record nine Olympic appearances, Canada's veteran show jumper Ian Millar finally earned his first piece of Olympic hardware on Monday in Beijing.
Canada won the silver medal in the equestrian team event and its first podium finish in 40 years. Canada had not finished better than ninth in Olympic team show jumping since placing fourth back in 1988.
Before winning his first medal, 61-year-old Millar's personal best Olympic performance was at the 2000 Games in Sydney where he came in 13th place in the individual competition. The Halifax native, who now calls Perth, Ont. home, has competed in every Summer Games since 1971.
"It's been a bit of a drought," Millar admitted. "But we knew coming here we had the team that could do it if things went our way."
But by Sunday things weren't going their way and few expected them to do so well.
Mac Cone of King City, Ont., and his horse Ole were forced to withdraw from the competition because of an injury and the team lost the luxury of a throwaway score. Team show jumping tallies the top three scores of four jumps.
"It sure does put you at a disadvantage," Millar said before the finals on Monday. "But it is not uncommon in this sport to compete with three members."
But strong rides by Jill Henselwood of Oxford Mills, Ont., on Special Ed and Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, Ont., on Hickstead, set the stage for Millar to bring home a medal.
Millar entered the ring at the Equestrian Venue in Shatin, Hong Kong under tremendous pressure and delivered a faultless round riding In Style -- a 13-year-old Dutch bred Gelding.
"We had some trouble yesterday and then we lost one. But Jill motivated us all," Millar said.
After the Millar's final round, the Canadians found themselves tied with the U.S. for first place and lost by a slim margin in a jump-off.
Millar dedicated the win to his wife who died of cancer in March. Married since 1969, together the couple developed a world-class equestrian training facility at Millar Brooke Farm in Perth. After taking some time for himself, Millar got back to training for Beijing just a few weeks after Lynn's death, knowing that's what she would've wanted.
"This one's for Lynn," Millar said after winning the silver medal.
"I had an angel riding with me," he later told reporters during a press conference on Monday.
Millar is best recognized for teaming up with celebrated colt Big Ben. Together they became the first-ever rider and horse pairing to win back-to-back World Cups in 1988 and 1989.
Millar was inducted to the Order of Canada in 1986 and into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame 10 years later. He has 80 Nations Cup showings, 40 Grand Prix wins, nine Pan Am medals, and roughly $1.5 million in prize money.
Millar's 34-year-old son, Jonathon, and 31-year-old daughter, Amy, were both in Hong Kong cheering on dad. All three plan on riding for team Canada at the 2012 Summer Games in London.
"There is no one better to ride in the anchor position for Canada than Ian Millar," Eric Lamaze said of his teammate and mentor on Monday.
Millar, Lamaze and Henselwood are all qualified for the individual final completion later this week.
