Equestrian riders end with freestyle full house

ParalympicsGB’s equestrian team ended Paris 2024 with a freestyle full house.

All four riders in action on the final day of competition at Château de Versailles won a medal, taking the team to a stunning seven overall, a haul bettered by no other nation.

Georgia Wilson and Sakura achieved a landmark result in the Grade II individual freestyle, scoring 79.374% to claim silver.

The 28-year-old from Abergele, Wales, bettered her bronze medal from Tokyo in the event and added to another bronze won in the championship test earlier this week.

“Just incredible, when I did my individual test, it was a dream to go home with a medal. But to go home with two, it’s amazing,” she said.

Riding Dawn Chorus, Natasha Baker completed her comeback Games with a bronze medal at Grade III.

The Uxbridge-based rider scored 77.140% to soar to silver and cradled her son Joshua in her arms in post-competition interviews.

“I’m just so happy,” she said. “I never expected it in a million years. I just want him [son, Joshua] to look back on his Mummy in 18-years time and think ‘she’s pretty darn cool’.

“Just to show him I had a dream when I was a young child and I went out there and I grabbed it. For a Para athlete, not knowing how pregnancy was going to treat me, how a comeback was going to treat me, I’m just over the moon.”

Sophie Wells added to her Paralympic medal haul with bronze at Grade V alongside LJT Egebjerggards Samoa.

Wells scored 75.445% and now owns a staggering ten Paralympic medals stretching back to London 2012, with both of her bronzes coming in Paris.

“It was amazing riding in the arena again -  I went in thinking this was the last time, I want to enjoy it but also not relax too soon. I am very proud of her,” she said.

Grade I rider Mari Durward-Akhurst crowned her stellar Paralympic debut with bronze on Athene Lindebjerg, notching a score of 77.747%

“I was really happy with it. It was really hard work but I think I got what the judges wanted. All the movements came off and the music all fitted. It was good,” she said.