* Please note: Continuing updates on the eventing controversy have been reported on Breaking News. See Aug. 20, 21 and 24 reports for the latest news.

Despite losing Ingrid Klimke and Sleep Late, the pair whose lightning-fast round kept them in medal contention yesterday, before show jumping, Germany looked like it had grabbed its first eventing team gold medal since 1988 by recording two clear rounds late this afternoon.

But then the French protested that Bettina Hoy, Germany’s No. 1 rider, had crossed the starting line before her time started on Ringwood Cockatoo, and an hour later the ground jury ruled that they’d penalized Hoy with 12 time penalties, dropping them to fourth with 145.8 penalties.

So France, even though they lowered five rails, has apparently won their first Olympic team gold since the 1980 alternate Olympics in Fontainebleau with 140.4 penalties.

Meanwhile, Great Britain recovered from its own loss (of William Fox-Pitt and Tamarillo) to pass the United States for the silver medal with 143 penalties.

For the U.S. team, Julie Richards (on Jacob Two Two) and Amy Tryon (on Poggio II) each jumped faultlessly, but John Williams and Carrick lowered three rails and Darren Chiacchia on Windfall lowered two. The silver medal would still have been theirs if Kim Severson had duplicated Richards’ and Tryon’s efforts, but Winsome Adante just caught the final fence, a vertical on a short bending line from the triple combination, with a hind leg. So the U.S. team has apparently finished with the bronze, 2.6 penalties behind the British.

Said Williams, “He just didn’t jump high enough. He was a bit mouthy today, but that’s to be expected after the cross-country course. I would have liked a bigger show jumping course.” Things feel a bit different–odd even–since there’s still a second round to jump tonight, under the lights. The riders have gotten to ride under the lights in this arena, the night before dressage started, but they still don’t know what to expect.

Said Pippa Funnell, who jumped clear in the first round, “I don’t know how they’ll react. They have to be mentally drained, just like we are. They might think it’s over.”

Plus, within about 10 minutes of the team round’s conclusion, officials announced that the ground jury was reviewing the results. And, of course, the Germans may still protest the jury’s decision.

Consequently, neither the team standings nor individual standings for the second round have yet been distributed. But here’s what it looks like unofficially: 1. Nicolas Touzaint of France (33.4); 2. Kim Severson (40.4); 3. Jean Teulere of France (42.4); 4. Pippa Funnell of Great Britain (42.6); 5. Leslie Law of Great Britain (44.4); 6. Hinrich Romeike of Germany (45.2); 7. Bettina Hoy of Germany (47.6); 8. Heelan Tompkins of New Zealand (48.0); 9. Phillip Dutton (50.6); 10. Darren Chiacchia (52.6). It appears as if Tryon and Williams will join Severson and Chiacchia to jump in the second round. The top 25 are supposed to start jumping at 8:45 local time (1:45 EDT).