Great Britain retains Paralympic team gold in Rio

Great Britain has retained its unbroken run of Paralympic team titles by winning another gold medal in Rio. They have never lost team gold since the sport of dressage was introduced at the Paralympics in Atlanta in 1996.

With individual golds for Natasha Baker (Grade II), Sophie Christiansen (Grade Ia) and Sophie Wells (Grade IV), plus individual silver for Anne Dunham (Grade Ia), the team proved once again too good for its rivals. Britain finished on a total of of 453.306, finishing some 20 points ahead of Germany in silver (433.321) with The Netherlands in bronze (430.353).

Add to that individual rider Lee Pearson’s individual silver and you can safely say it’s been a good few days for the Brits.

Sophie Wells and Valerius started Britain’s gold rush yesterday, scoring 74.857% to finish just ahead of Belgium’s Michèle George. Wells lost out to George at both the London 2012 Games and the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2014.

“We couldn’t have given any more. I’m just so proud of him,” said Sophie. “Definitely a sense of pride (in) my horse, my support team, and that we actually went and did it in the arena when it mattered. I can’t believe it. It brings back a little bit of what we didn’t get on Pinocchio in London and this is for him as well.”

Natasha Baker was aiming to defend her Paralympic title from four years ago with Cabral – the only horse-rider combination in the para-equestrian dressage team from London.

Going at the halfway stage, they scored 73.400% to take the lead but then had a nervous wait for the other competitors to take their turn. But in the end Natasha had done enough for gold, with Demi Vermeulen (Burberry) and Rixt Van Der Horst (Caraat) taking individual silver and bronze respectively.

“I’m an emotional wreck. I’m still in complete shock, I’m just so proud, for once I’m absolutely speechless. I can’t believe what’s just happened. London was just so, so special for me, so to retain that title I just can’t believe it,” she said.

Things went somewhat more smoothly yesterday than they had on Natasha’s first team test, when Cabral spooked before entering the arena. “I had a little pep talk with him before we went in and said trust me, we can do this, and we did. He’s my best friend, he’s my soul mate and I couldn’t love him more. He is just the best horse in the world.”

In a repeat of the team test earlier this week, Sophie Christiansen and Anne Dunham scored a one-two.

Sophie was first out for Great Britain with the nine-year-old Athene Lindebjerg. They scored 78.217%, propelling them into the lead.

The last rider for the British squad and the penultimate rider for the class, Anne Dunham and Lucas Normark scored 74.348%, to put them behind Sophie.

“She (Athene) was really with me today, she was so good, she wasn’t scared at all by it. I never underestimated my teammate out there (Anne), I was on tenterhooks until the very end of the test. We’ve all had to fight for it, but I’m really pleased,” said Sophie.

Her team mate Anne added: “We’ve worked for this for eight years me and my family and it’s amazing to be here in Rio. All my previous Games experiences have really contributed so much to me as a person and I’m immensely proud to have seen the sport grow over that time.”

In the Grade 1b competition, Britain’s Lee Pearson just missed out on a gold to Austria’s Pepo Puch.

Riding Fontainenoir, Puch scored 75.103% to Pearson’s 74.103%, with Denmark’s Stinna Tange Kaastrup took the bronze.

Pearson was magnanimous after the results. “I think the best man won on the day,” he said. “The standard is tough. It has been up to London and since then. My aim was to go home with a medal so I’m over the moon.”

All five British athletes will compete again today in the individual Freestyle tests, when they’ll have the opportunity to add to Great Britain’s medal haul.

Full results can be found on the Rio 2016 website