Individual, Open

The format was the same as in 1972 and consisted of two rounds, with the top 20 riders in round one advancing to the final round. The total score for both rounds determined placements. The 1974 World Champions were Hartwig Steenken of West Germany (men) and France’s Janou Lefèbvre-Tissot (women), but neither rider was on their nation’s team for the 1976 Olympics. The individual event was marred by heavy rains especially near the end of the competition.

In the first round, only West German Alwin Schockemöhle had a clean ride, with second place shared by seven riders with 4.00 faults. Schockemöhle then rode cleanly in round two, for a perfect score in two rounds, the first Olympic jumper to ever achieve this. In 1928, Czechoslovakian František Ventura was clean in one round, but also went clean in a jump-off. Three riders tied for second behind Schockemöhle with a total of 12.00 faults – Michel Vaillancourt (CAN), François Mathy (BEL), and Debbie Johnsey (GBR). In the jump-off Vaillancourt won the silver medal with 4.00 faults, Mathy taking bronze with 8.00 faults, while Johnsey dropped off the podium with 15.25 faults.