More Para-Equestrian Dressage success for Britain
Monday, July 23, 2007
The dancing melodies of the World Individual Freestyle Competition played out on Sunday in both the new Hartpury Indoor and Outdoor arena. Indeed, to the delight of all the athletes and spectators, the clouds retreated to reveal the glorious and magical setting that makes Hartpury the fabulous international venue that it is. The tremendous efforts of the Organizing Committee and the volunteers whose dedication and commitment in hail, rain or shine is more than deserving of a gold medal!
The British competitors were still floating to the tunes of yet another team title and there was little to stop their verve which dominated the Freestyle Competition. Asked why the level of British Para-Equestrian never ceases to increase, Lee Pearson nonchalantly said: "Success breeds success".
The Grade 1a Freestyle Gold went to current European Champion Sophie Christiansen and Gazel, with whom she has only trained for 1 week as her previous mount went lame. Silver went to her experienced compatriot, Anne Dunham with BB Call me Caine. Anne stated that even with this 2nd medal under her belt (she also won Team Gold) she is more than ever determined to go on, with clear goals set as the Paralympics in Hong Kong loom in 2008. Anne is by far the most experienced Championship rider from the British squad, having won 10 Gold as well as numerous Silver and Bronze medals and is the current Paralympic, World and British National Champion. Bronze went to Brazilian Sergio Oliva with El Grand Champ. In Grade 1b, a spectacular performance by Lee Pearson and Altino secured yet another Gold medal for the new and very successful partnership, with 79.885%. Silver went to Jens Lasse Dokkan with Lacour from Norway while Bronze went to Nicole Kullen from Australia and again another remarkable performance on her borrowed horse Worlseton Billy.
Breaking the British winning streak, Britta Napel from Germany with Durbridge 28 became the new Grade II Freestyle World Champion. She was closely followed by Nicola Tustain and Hotstuff, and in 3rd place came fellow British athlete Felicity Coulthard with Roffelaar. The British resumed their domination in Grade III, with Simon Laurens clinching Gold and Deborah Criddle Silver. Bronze went to Hannelore Brenner and Women of the World, from Germany. Simon became a Grade III Para-Equestrian rider in 2005 and recently moved from Jersey to Gloucestershire so as to be more readily available for training and the Para-Equestrian British squad. Debbie Criddle and Figaro IX are the only combination to have won Individual, Freestyle and Team Gold at the 2001 European Championships, the 2003 World Championships and the 2004 Athens Paralympics. In Grade IV, the same 3 medal winners from the Individual competition returned to the Freestyle with a lot more to show, and successfully so, as Norwegian rider Ann Cathrin Lubbe with Zanko emerged victorious yet again, confirming their stronghold on the Grade IV competition. Swapping places on this occasion, Sabine Peters from The Netherlands took Silver while Philippa Johnson and Benedict claimed Bronze.
A grand prize-giving ceremony ensued with FEI President Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, International Paralympic Committee President Sir Philippe Craven, FEI Para-Equestrian Director Ian Williams and Para-Equestrian Committee Chairman Mrs Jonquil Solt, all united in congratulating the athletes on their successes and the future of Para-Equestrian, which they as active ambassadors have taken to greater levels.
Lee Pearson was the only treble Gold medal recipient at these Championships, and he has effectively won everything he has competed in since the onset of the event. Born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (the muscles in his arms and legs grew as scar tissue in the womb, leaving them bent and warped), he has become one of the nation's most successful sportsmen. Wearing plastic splints running from his backside to his heels, he has won 6 Paralympic Games dressage Gold medals (3 apiece from Athens and Sydney), 5 World Championship, and 3 European titles, plus a notable victory in an able-bodied national championship event at Hickstead, of which he said: "That meant a lot to me, as did being voted BBC Midlands Sports Personality of the Year, because it's nice to take on and beat athletes without disabilities". He first came to public attention at the age of 6, by which time he had already undergone 15 operations, when Margaret Thatcher carried him up the staircase of 10 Downing Street to receive his 1980 Children of Courage Award, melting the Iron Lady's heart with his cheeky grin and delighted chuckles. "I don't know why, but she just took a shine to me. When she bent down to pick me up my dad said: 'I'd better carry Lee, he's heavier than he looks', to which the Prime Minister replied firmly: 'I'll carry him.' ". At that time, Lee attended a special needs school near his home in the Staffordshire village of Cheddleton, until Lynda and Dave Pearson cajoled a local mainstream school into accepting their son. "Mum and Dad were determined to make my life as normal as they possibly could. After all, what is a disability? If you try singling me out to my mother, she'll be down your throat. She has 3 sons and she's equally proud of us all. That's why when I went to mainstream school at the age of 9, I thought it was no big deal. When the school asked if I would like an adult minder to carry my bag around, Mum snapped: 'You must be joking. He'll either make friends who'll carry his bag around, or else he'll carry his own bloody bag.' ". By then, he was also an accomplished horseman, having started riding as a tot when, banned from joining his elder brothers on their BMX adventures, his parents bought him Sally the donkey on which to romp around the paddock. "My great grandfather had been the neighbourhood 'horse whisperer' so I've probably loved horses since I was an embryo. Whenever I watched cowboy films as a small child I wasn't watching the hunky cowboys – which I'd probably do now – I was watching the horses. Even now I love sitting in the field just watching the way they move. If I hadn't discovered the possibilities of a full-time career in sport through watching the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta, I'd have committed suicide. I hated the supermarket job so much I was on anti-depressants. If I'd worked on the checkout at least I would have been meeting different people every day but I got to talk to nobody. It's the people who are stuck in jobs like that who deserve a bloody medal, not me. I feel lucky that I found my talent, not unlucky that I was born with a disability. When I'm on a horse I'm more worried about what the riding hat is doing to my hair than what my bent legs and arms are doing. What riding has given me is respect. When I compete in an able-bodied event, I'm not seen as an 'Aaaah, bless. . .' factor, I'm seen as an 'Oh, s***, why does he have to be in my class?' ". When he arrived in Sydney to compete in his first Paralympics, his initial sensation was one of disappointment. "I'd always liked to think that I was unique and there I was, suddenly surrounded by hundreds of athletes with far more severe problems than me". In May 2007 he became the 1st Chairman of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Athletes Commitee.
For full results see: www.hartpurycollege.ac.uk/wpdc/results
The speech by the FEI President can be found on the FEI website at: www.horsesport.org/president/references/references
