Charlotte Dujardin, Carl Hester and Laura Bechtolsheimer won Britain’s first Olympic dressage medal of any colour since the discipline first appearance in the 1912 Games.
Solid rides by Hester (pictured, centre) and Bechtolsheimer (right) looked to have secured gold unless Dujardin (left) had a bad ride. But the 27 year old is not world record holder for nothing and was able to set a new Olympic record with 83.286.
Britain’s dressage team have been an up-and-coming force in the equestrian discipline, they finished fifth at Beijing 2008 but confirmed their potential for London 2012 with victory in last year’s European Championships.
And the horse is as important as the rider. Hester’s Uthopia, Bechtolsheimer’s Mistral Hojris - better-known as Alf - and Dujardin’s Valegro have now proved that they are three of the best.
Britain’s team average of 79.979 beat Germany’s 78.216 as each of the three British riders defeated their German equivalent in what became a battle between the two teams.
Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
Image credit: Kit Houghton
