Karl Cook is a silver medalist thanks to the 2024 Summer Olympics!
Kaley Cuoco‘s ex-husband won the silver medal in the equestrian team jumping competition alongside his teammates McLain Ward and Laura Kraut on Friday, Aug. 2, after an allergy-related issue with another teammate’s horse.
SFGate reported that Cook, 33, came to Paris as an alternate member of the team and was told that he and his horse Caracole De La Roque would be competing on Thursday, Aug. 1, just a few hours before the first round of competition.
The athlete explained the situation in a video posted on Instagram on Friday, Aug. 2, highlighting that alternates are allowed to be subbed in until about 2.5 hours before the competition begins.
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“As the alternate, we did the warmup yesterday with everyone. I prepared, we did everything as if we were showing today,” Cook said. “… My job as the alternate is to be ready no matter what.”
Cook added that at about 8:40 a.m. on the first day of competition. Team USA’s coach Robert Ridland told him he and his horse were competing. The event’s qualifying round began at 11:15 a.m. local time in Paris.
The Chronicle of the Horse shared Ridland’s statement about the decision on Aug. 1, referring to team member Kent Farrington and his horse Greya.
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“There is a small question mark with Greya, which is allergy related, and erring on the side of extreme caution and with the no drop score in the format, we have made the decision to bring in Karl Cook and Caracole de la Roque,” he said, per the outlet.
In his video, Cook also said that being able to represent Team USA and jump clear in the first round was “such a great moment.”
“What an amazing experience for the best team on the grid. We qualified just behind Germany in second. Let’s get this thing done. All or nothing for gold!!” he captioned the video.
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