Britain’s Laura Collett and London 52 set a new Olympic record with a sensational performance in the Olympic eventing dressage phase to score 17.5 today (27 July).
The mark is an enormous new personal best for the pair and set them more than seven marks clear of their nearest rivals at the time, teammates Tom McEwen and JL Dublin (25.8), at this mid-way stage of the opening phase. The pair’s results set alight the British team’s hopes as well as their own chances of an individual medal.
There is poetry in this moment, too. In Tokyo, where this pair helped Britain to team gold, Laura spoke of her feeling of disappointment and not producing the dressage test she knew they were capable of. Coming into these Games, she spoke openly of the lessons she learnt from her mistakes in Tokyo.
The wealth of experience that this partnership has banked since must surely help, too. With two further five-star wins under their belt and two more championship team call ups, Laura and “Dan” are altogether more experienced competitors than they were three years ago.
There is a long way to go in Paris still. But today, Laura and Dan delivered the performance of their lives at the moment it mattered. Laura has contested 389 international dressage tests – on this, her 390th, she produced her best ever at any level.
“I loved every second of it. That horse is unbelievable. What he’s done throughout my whole career is amazing and he just keeps on delivering. I’m just very, very grateful to him,” said Laura, adding she drew inspiration from Tom’s performance earlier today.
“He really went for it and smashed it out the park, so he gave me that motivation to not leave anything behind and just be brave and try to give it our best shot. Luckily, I’ve got a very willing partner.”
Laura, who owns the 15-year-old gelding with Keith Scott and Karen Bartlett, added: “Tom and I were lucky to get that feeling of what it is like standing on a podium with a gold medal around our necks, and we sure want to do it again. Yes, there’s a lot of pressure and expectations, but pressure is a privilege.”
London 52, the only horse from Britain’s Tokyo team to come to Paris, is among the elite club to have won three different five-stars – and an individual medal is overdue.
“I’ve changed an awful lot [of how I prepare] since Tokyo. Everyone knows that it didn’t work there, so it’s been quite testing, really, because two days ago he was absolutely wild in that arena, but had to just trust that I didn’t want him perfect two days ago, it was all building up to this,” she said.
“He was very good yesterday, but again, it would have been easy to just push him that extra bit. I thought, we’ll wait and do it just in the last 10 minutes and save it for the arena – and the plan paid off.”
London 52 rose to the occasion – a world-class athlete with the relaxed confidence of being the form of his life commanding attention in this spectacular arena – with his scoresheet peppered with nines and 10s.
“I’ve said all along that Dan really likes crowds. He went in and he thought every single person was there for him. He had a palace in the background, which he thought was fabulous. He said, ‘finally, after all these years I’m where I belong’,” said Laura.
Horse sport is all about the partnership. Laura has produced London 52 from a young horse to the heights of their careers. Today in Paris, delivering the test of their lives, this was where they both belonged.
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