Brits rule at the Palace of Versailles

The Olympics open with a magnificent eventing showdown, in which the favourites, Britain, take team gold - led by individual bronze medallist Laura Collett - over a fascinating three days of surprises, stories and superb sport

- PIPPA ROOME

Paris Olympics, France

“TOM MCEWEN and I were lucky to get that feeling of standing on a podium with a gold medal around our necks in Tokyo, and we sure want to do it again. Yes, there are a lot of expectations, but pressure is a privilege,” said Laura Collett after her Olympic dressage test in Versailles.

Two days later, she, Tom and Ros Canter luxuriated in that sensation when they won Britain’s first gold medal of this Olympics. To cap it, Laura claimed individual bronze with her “horse of a lifetime”, London 52.

Tokyo was an extraordinary Games, with medals won on sultry evenings under lights in an empty stadium. Paris could not have been more different with huge, enthusiastic crowds. Again and again, riders compared it to London 2012.

“Tokyo was the most surreal experience and to have the opportunity to come to another Olympics and witness these crowds – I could never have dreamt of it,” said Laura. “Luckily we Brits are all sat on horses who enjoy people cheering for them.”

London 52, owned by Karen Bartlett, Keith Scott and Laura, was the only horse from Britain’s last Olympic team to make Paris and, now 15, his programme has been geared around this ever since Tokyo. On the way, he’s won his second and third five-star titles and this individual medal was overdue after various glitches have kept him off championship podiums.

“He’s not a natural brave cross-country horse and I know how much he’s had to trust me so he now goes around a course like that on railway tracks,” she said after cross-country. “It just shows what a partnership you can build up. I have full faith in him now and then you can go and enjoy yourself out there.”

Britain started as favourites, with a 40% win chance according to data analytics company EquiRatings, but the three-to-a-team format with all scores to count offers massive opportunities for everything to unravel in a millisecond.