Andrew Nicholson has knocked William Fox-Pitt off the top of the HSBC Rankings following the Olympic eventing at Greenwich Park.

Immense contribution

Despite William winning team silver and Andrew taking team bronze, the New Zealander has taken the lead by 46 points. William had previously led the rankings since April.

According to Jim Ellis, chief executive of Equestrian Sports New Zealand, Andrew has made an “immense contribution” to the country’s Olympic record during his six appearances since 1984.

“It’s great to see him in the position he deserves as leader of the HSBC Rankings,” he said.

Fellow Kiwi and bronze-medal winner, Jonathan Paget, has moved up to third place and is 21 points ahead of the USA’s Boyd Martin. The 29-year-old only started riding when he was 18 and competed in his first CCI4* in 2010 – so that’s quite an accomplishment, especially among such an experienced field.

Champion of champions

Also attending her sixth Olympics was Mary King, who has moved up from 36th to sixth place in the rankings following her team silver. Fifth place is currently occupied by the Olympic, European and World champion, Michael Jung from Germany.

The HSBC Rankings are run on a rolling 12-month basis and this month’s rankings are based on results obtained between 1 September 2011 and 2 August 2012.