Wells adds dressage silver to Paralympic medal haul

Sophie Wells finished off a superb day for ParalympicsGB at the Tokyo Equestrian Park by taking silver in the dressage individual test grade V.

Wells backed up Sir Lee Pearson’s gold and Georgia Wilson’s bronze in the individual test grade II earlier in the afternoon with a brilliant routine on Don Cara.

She scored 74.405 per cent, just 2.119 back from Belgian gold medallist Michele George while Netherlands’ Frank Hosmar completed the podium.

Wells shed some tears at the end of her routine after becoming a seven-time Paralympic medallist and admits she was relieved Don Cara stepped up to the plate.

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“I am so overwhelmed with emotion,” she said.

“I came into this having no expectations, just a little bit of fear of what he could do in there for the bad. But also belief in him that if he relaxed and was with me, I knew he could medal.

“This horse has never been abroad, he has never competed abroad and has never done championships.

“Even though he is 12, he is so green and he is such a sensitive horse. He is anxious in himself and so I was just hoping he would just go in and trust me.”

Wells’ Tokyo 2020 medal follows her individual test grade IV gold, team gold and freestyle silver in Rio five years ago, as well as her individual silver, freestyle silver and team gold from London 2012.