Laura Collett, a Team GB gold medallist who competed in this year's Olympics, has explained why she felt 'a bit sad to be British' leading up to the iconic competition.
34-year-old Collett, who is a highly skilled equestrian, competed in the show-jumping final at Chateau de Versailles on Monday (29 July).
The equestrian was instrumental in helping Team GB secure their first gold medal of the competition, as well as a bronze for Individual Eventing.
Made up of Collett, Tom McEwen and Ros Canter, Team GB placed gold, France gained silver and Japan took bronze.
Advert
The 2024 Paris Olympics aren't Collett's first - she competed in Tokyo 2020 and won gold in the team event, as well as bronze in the singles event.
Collett's path to Olympic glory hasn't been without its fair share of challenges though, to put it lightly.
Back in 2013, she almost lost her life after a serious fall in 2013 - which confined her to a hospital bed for two weeks, including six days in a medically induced coma.
Collett's vision has also been permanently affected - she is now blind in one eye.
Team GB are renowned in the equestrian world, being widely regarded as the ones to beat. This led Collett to admit she felt 'a bit sad' to be British leading up to the games.
After her bronze win, Collett told BBC Sport: "At the beginning of the year I was a bit sad that I was British because I thought there was no chance of getting on the team because it is so strong."
She continued: "Realistically they could have sent a whole different team and they still would have come back with a gold medal.
"Once you get selected you are very glad to be British because it means you ride alongside the likes of Tom and Ross and to have Yas [Ingham] here as well, willing us on.
"It is a huge team effort and we are very lucky we got selected and could come and make sure we didn’t mess up. It’s so many years of hard work and blood, sweat and tears.
"Emotional rollercoaster doesn’t even do it justice. Every single bad day is worth it. I just had to never give up and never lose hope and you can never dream too big."
She concluded: "‘I never thought this day would come. I owe absolutely everything to that horse and the team that have made it possible just to get here."
Team GB's current medal count - 16
Gold medallists
- Rosalind Canter, Laura Collett, Tom McEwen: Equestrian - Eventing team
- Tom Pidcock: Mountain Bike - Men's cross country
- Nathan Hales: Shooting - Men's trap
- Tom Dean, Kieran Bird, James Guy, Jack McMillan, Matthew Richards, Duncan Scott: Swimming - Men's 4x200m freestyle
- Alex Yee: Men's triathlon
- Lauren Henry, Lola Anderson, Hannah Scott and Georgina Brayshaw: Rowing - Women's quadruple sculls
Silver medallists
- Anna Henderson: Cycling - Women's individual time trial
- Adam Peaty: Swimming - Men's 100m breaststroke
- Tom Daley and Noah Williams: Diving - Men's synchronised 10m platform
- Adam Burgess: Canoe Slalom - Men's canoe single
- Matthew Richards: Swimming - Men's 200m freestyle
Bronze medallists
- Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen: Diving - Women's synchronised 3m springboard
- Kimberley Woods: Canoe - Women's slalom
- Laura Collett: Equestrian - Eventing individual
- Beth Potter: Women's triathlon
- Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson: Diving - Women's synchronised 10m platform
Kya Buller