By Charlie Bennett in Paris

Team GB eventer Tom McEwen says the Charlotte Dujardin horse whipping scandal came as a shock but vowed to try and change the sport’s image, after a record-breaking day in Versailles.

Dujardin, a three-time Olympic gold medallist in dressage, pulled out of the Olympics on Tuesday after video footage emerged of her excessively whipping a horse.

The 39-year-old has been provisionally suspended by governing body the FEI and her career lies in tatters – but the saga has not had an immediate impact on Team GB’s equestrian ambitions in Paris.

McEwen was part of a team that set two Olympic records on the opening day to move into an early pole position for eventing gold – an event that consists of dressage, cross-country and show jumping over three days

Laura Collett set a new Olympic record on 17.50 on London 52 to take an early lead in the individual standings, while Ros Canter sits sixth and McEwen 11th, with GB’s final day score of 66.70, the lowest-ever team total in Olympic history.

McEwen and Collett were part of Team GB’s gold-medal winning Tokyo team and McEwen knows how important another gold will be to help move attention away from Dujardin.

"I think it was a shock for all of us, but at the end of it we're here to portray our sport in a positive light," he said.

"I believe eventing is one of the greatest sports - we're the triathlon of the horse world.

"I would be more than happy to let anyone come into our yard and see how well those horses are looked after. I think our sport is amazing and these horses are treated like kings and queens.

"I do believe that this week, all of us here can show the sport to be the amazing sport that it is."

Elsewhere on day one, Gareth Furlong revelled in a dream Olympic debut after helping Team GB’s men begin their hockey campaign with a 4-0 win over Spain.

Furlong, 32, scored twice with trademark drag flicks from penalty corners as Paul Revington’s side delivered a statement of intent in Pool A.

Nick Park’s superb solo strike set the tone on 13 minutes before Furlong’s double, with Rupert Shipperley’s close-range finish adding gloss to the scoreline late on.

“Scoring is part of my job in the team and it’s nice to have the homework pay off,” said Furlong, who was drafted into the GB set-up earlier this year having earned almost 150 Wales caps.

“To come out first game and start with three points is the most important thing.”

In the gymnastics arena, Max Whitlock admitted he had rarely felt so anxious as he helped team-mates Joe Fraser, Jake Jarman, Harry Hepworth and Luke Whitehouse all but secure their place in Monday's team artistic gymnastics final.

Whitlock is calling time on his career here in Paris and knew one slip could have brought the curtain down prematurely at the Bercy Arena.

However, he had nothing to worry about. Jarman, Hepworth and Whitehouse, newcomers at this level, looked totally at home under the glare of the big lights, while Fraser was a reliable as ever.

"There is just a lot of relief right now, qualifications are always so tough, especially at the Olympics, and everybody was really feeling it, we knew what was a stake,” he said.

Elsewhere, Adam Burgess qualified second fastest for Monday’s canoe slalom C1 final, and Kim Woods secured her place in the women’s K1 final.

Britain’s rowers also booked their place in the men’s and women’s quadruple sculls finals, while Mathildas Hodgkins Byrne and Becky Wilde eased through to the double sculls semis.