The US Eventing Team won their second consecutive team gold at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, August 1-4. Even with a lot at stake going into the Pan Ams, the combination of Pan Am team gold veterans Boyd Martin (2015) and Lynn Symansky (2011) along with first-timers Tami Smith and Doug Payne dominated the leaderboards.

Boyd and Tsetserleg anchored the team, winning individual gold on their dressage score of 25.6 with two double clears. Middleburg's own Lynn Symansky and RF Cool Play, owned by The Donner Syndicate, served as the team's pathfinder, going first for the team on the cross-country, also putting in two double clear to harvest individual silver on their dressage score of 29.2.

Doug Payne and Star Witness added 8.4-time faults to their dressage score of 28.1 for a final score of 36.4 and fourth place, less than two points out of the medals. Tami Smith and Mai Baum, in first place after dressage, encountered jump and time penalties on the cross-country but posted the fourth American double clear show jumping round to finish in 17th.

It was a spectacular effort by the US to secure their qualification to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and they did it with plenty of cushion, score-wise, finishing on 91.2. Brazil pulled off a miraculous team effort to qualify for Tokyo, earning team silver in a knuckle-biting finish on 122.1 (no drop score) with Carlos Parro taking home individual bronze on 34,9. Canada, already qualified for Tokyo, finished on 183.7 for team bronze.

"It's a big relief. We all worked very, very hard," Boyd said. "There was a lot of pressure coming here. We were under the gun and I think we all stepped up."

The US team weathered some hair-raising moments during the three-day competition and credited their friendship and past competition experience for maintaining their composure. Eventing is an individual sport except for the big FEI competitions when being in a team changes the dynamics.

"It's a group of people that know each other already, and I think we all get along really well," Lynn said. "It makes the pressure environment easier when you have a group that supports each other, even when things don't go according to plan."

US Eventing Chef d'Equipe and team coach Eric Duvander said, "I've seen how much work these guys have put into this, how much it means to them. So, to execute like this, I couldn't ask for a better ending. I thoroughly believe they deserve all the medals hanging around their necks."