Tales of Tokyo

With the world’s best horses and riders descending on Tokyo, there was action aplenty. Martha Terry looks back on those gold medal-winning moments, the ups and downs, and the best stories to come from the Games

- Martha Terry

AS the dust settles, we will look back at the Tokyo Olympics as an unexpected marvel. It was the Games that so nearly didn’t happen, yet so gloriously lifted us out of the Covid gloom. There were British medals aplenty, tear-jerking successes and heartbreak, lessons learnt and questions for the future. For now, let’s celebrate the joys of the pinnacle of our sport, its athletes, equine and human, and cherish the thrills and emotions they have given us.

BRITISH SUCCESS

THIS was Britain’s joint-best equestrian effort at an Olympics, equalling the five medals at London 2012 and two more than at Rio 2016.

Britain’s double dressage gold from London may have turned to double bronze, but as Charlotte Dujardin pointed out of grand prix newcomer Gio: “For me, this might be a bronze, but it’s really like a gold medal, because I feel ‘Pumpkin’ has given me everything.”

Gio, Carl Hester’s En Vogue and Olympic debutante Lottie Fry (Everdale) surpassed even their own expectations to take team bronze, these young horses giving great hope for future championships.

Our eventers – Laura Collett, Oliver Townend and Tom McEwen – were expected to win team gold, but the pressure of having their three five-star winners fit, sound and performing at their best in each discipline on each day cannot be underestimated.

“We came out here knowing we had three of the best horses in the world – horses of a lifetime – and that’s why we’re sat here with a gold medal,” said Laura. “It’s a relief to get the job done.”