Doctor Dolittle may talk to the animals, but Lee Pearson of Great Britain does even better -- he gets horses to produce gold. On Thursday, September 11, at the HK Equestrian (Shatin) Venue, he worked his magic and spurred Gentleman (his third horse in as many Paralympics) into the lead in the Individual Freestyle Grade Ib competition of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games with a remarkable 77.056 points.
Pearson began his Paralympic winning ways in his debut at the Sydney 2000 Games, where he partnered with Chip Chase Meknes, a borrowed horse, and took all three gold medals on offer. In Athens four years later, he used his own horse, the distinctive big dun Blue Circle Boy, to collect another three.
In Hong Kong, Gentleman, an immaculate bay gelding, danced to an enchanting mix of evergreen musicals to deliver the goods. This win and the gold medals won in the Individual Championship and the Team Test bring to nine Pearson's collection of Paralympic medals. This makes him the first Para-equestrian athlete ever to have a 100 percent record, a remarkable achievement for a rider born with arthrogryposis (a rare disorder that affected his muscles and joints).
"I just want to cry, I'm over the moon. There could be a letter coming from the Prime Minister or the Queen," he chuckled.
In second place was up-and-coming Ricky Balshaw (Great Britain) with a 70.444 score, well ahead of bronze medalist Marcos Alves (Brazil) riding Luthenay de Varnay.
Balshaw admitted that he and his horse (Deacon's Giorgi) "couldn't have done anymore." He said: "I had nothing to lose, and as it was the last day I went for it... I hate losing."
In the Individual Grade Ia test, it was another Great Britain one-two with Sophie Christiansen (76.056 points) and Anne Dunham (73.333) holding off the challenge of Laurentia Tan (Singapore), who rode to mellow Japanese flute music in obtaining a score of 70.169.
A jubilant Christiansen said of her outstanding performance: "Initially, I just burst into tears as I couldn't believe it. I've worked hard for this gold."
Tan praised her horse (Nothing To Lose) as that was exactly what she felt on entering the arena. Afterwards, she said: "I can't believe what I've done. It's a dream come true."
In the night's final event -- which brought the curtains down on five days of exhilarating competition -- Grade III riders took to the arena on a balmy night to entertain the crowd with an array of tunes that mixed modern and classical favorites.
Hannelore Brenner (Germany), who had already won the gold in the Individual Championship and took the silver in the Team Test, swept to a comfortable lead of 74.223 with an upbeat tempo that had Women of the World (her horse) gliding across the arena.
Taking silver was Simon Lauren (Great Britain), who had led with 73.499 going into the evening session. In third place was Lykke Dalskova (Denmark) who did her best with a 'Phantom of the Opera" medley to score 73.222.
(BOCOG September 12, 2008)