Collett’s fine display lifts GB eventers’ morale
LAURA Collett put a “devastating” week for the British equestrian team well behind her as she posted a new Olympic record in the eventing dressage phase at the Chateau de Versailles.
Team GB’s run-in to the opening day of competition had been overshadowed by the publication of a video of dressage star Charlotte Dujardin repeatedly hitting a student’s horse with a whip from the ground during a coaching session four years ago.
Dujardin subsequently withdrew from Paris last Tuesday and was issued with a six-month ban by equestrian’s governing body pending an investigation.
Gloucesteshire’s Collett, who was part of Britain’s gold medal-winning eventing team in Tokyo, admitted it had been a tough few days but she put that to one side to post a score of 17.5 penalties aboard London 52 and claim an overnight lead.
She said: “It’s been devastating news the last week, but we’re here to do a job so we have been very good at drawing a line and focussing on the job in hand and we want to show just how much our horses mean to us.
“I think the key thing is we work together, day in, day out - he’s my best friend (London 52).
“You don’t build those partnerships in five or 10 minutes, it’s years and years of hard work, getting the horse to trust you and you can’t do that by not building a partnership.
“It’s hard but we’re here to do a job and we’re fully focussed on that.”
Of her record-breaking performance, she added: “I have never enjoyed a dressage test so much. I had the time of my life - from the moment I entered the arena, he had his ears pricked and loved it and so did I.”
Teammates Ros Canter and Tom McEwen enjoyed similarly good days, incurring 23.40 and 25.80 penalties respectively, to leave Team GB in first place overnight.
Britain’s team scored a total of 66.70 penalties - another record low in the dressage element.
Canter has avoided delving into any of the controversy ahead of her Olympic debut, saying: “All I can hope is that as a team we can do the equestrian world proud this week, because welfare is always at the forefront of our mind.”
McEwen described the Dujardin case as “deeply sad” for equestrian sport, but does not believe it is the norm.
Team GB will jump for gold today on Monday after maintaining their early lead on day two of the eventing competition yesterday.
Collett, McEwen and Canter registered a record low score for the dressage phase on Saturday - with Collett’s Olympic record individual tally putting her in gold medal position.
While she jumped clear over the cross country course at the Chateau de Versailles yesterday, she finished marginally over the allotted time and incurred 0.8 penalties.
That proved crucial as German rider Michael Jung went clear inside the time to edge a 0.5 lead, but Collett thoroughly enjoyed the reception afforded by the sizeable crowds in the sunshine after a wet start to competition a day earlier.
She said: “The crowds out there were unbelievable from start to finish, that was such a buzz and London 52 is the horse of a lifetime. He’s just incredible.
“The time was quite tight. There were a couple of places that you could really let them gallop, but there’s an awful lot of twists and turns and he lost a front shoe - I think quite early - so was slipping and I had to be careful on those turns.
“I was buzzing after yesterday and then the thought of today, there definitely weren’t very many hours sleep last night but I can sleep for a week when I get home.
“He’s a very good jumper, but anything can happen, as we saw in Tokyo (when he knocked a fence down). Being in an Olympic stadium is a very different experience than anything they’ve seen before, he was spooky in Tokyo but he likes a crowd, so hopefully he will show off tomorrow.”
McEwen and JL Dublin went clear in the time allowed and the duo now sit in sixth place, hoping to make up the necessary ground on thirdplaced Australian Christopher Burton in the showjumping arena.
He said: “Dubs was phenomenal from start to finish - it was the most amazing crowd all the way around the course, every single area was packed. They were cheering before, over and after fences. I love my jumping and Dubs loves it too.”
Canter and her mount Lordships Graffalo were given a 15-point penalty for a missed flag, with that decision under review, leaving the team on a mark of 82.50 ahead of France on 87.20.
She said: “I did touch a flag coming out of the triple bushes at the end but I never would’ve imagined I didn’t jump the jump.”
Britain’s chances in the team competition were boosted when Jung’s teammate Christoph Wahler was eliminated after a fall while Australia are also out of contention after Kevin McNab pulled up his horse Don Quidam.
Of the German’s misfortune, Collett added: “We’re here as a team and we want to do well, but we just focus on our team, not what everyone else is doing.”