Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin has won individual gold in the dressage at the Olympics.
She and the 10-year-old Valegro scored 90.089% in the freestyle to an epic “British” sound track — the chimes of Big Ben, Land of Hope and Glory and Bond music — to add another gold to their team medal.
“It’s unbelievable — very emotional,” said Charlotte. “He gave it everything. I can’t believe it was only last January that we did our first grand prix and now we have two Olympic gold medals!”
And Laura Bechtolsheimer won Britain a second individual dressage medal by taking bronze with her wonderful campaigner Mistral Hojris. They scored 84.339%.
“For a horse of his age, at 17, to move like that and give his all is beyond words,” said Laura. “It was definitely the best ride I have ever had on him.”
Sandwiched between them was the Netherlands’ Adelinde Cornelissen, who rode a brilliant test on Parsival for 88.250% and a silver medal.
Carl Hester and Uthopia, the third members of Britain’s gold medal-winning team, made a couple of little mistakes for 82.857%, fifth behind Germany’s Helen Langehanenberg and Damon Hill on 84.196%.
And Anky van Grunsven, competing her multiple champion Salinero for the final time, finished sixth with 82%.
Olympic individual medals
Gold: Charlotte Dujardin (Valegro) GBR
Silver: Adelinde Cornelissen (Parzival) NED
Bronze: Laura Bechtolsheimer (Mistral Hojris) GBR
