GB off to solid start in Hong Kong

Heikki Kovalainen on the Santander GP

Sep 06 2008

Published by Lizzie Greenwood-Hughes at 6:48 pm under Olympics

It feels like only yesterday that I was sitting in the very chilled atmosphere of the Sha Tin arena watching the Olympic dressage riders strut their stuff… now I’m back doing the same at the Paralympics and it feels great.

There’s a little bit more to do as I’m here for TV but it’s mostly the same team and which horse lover would ever complain about getting to watch horses all day for their job?!

The standard in the Grade 3 this morning was split between the top four who were excellent to the bottom three who weren’t so great.

The current leader is Germany’s Hannelore Brenner who did an outstanding test scoring 71.615%. Simon Laurens got the British team off to a good start though with 69.538% for 2nd place on Ocean Diamond.

GB's Simon Laurens competing in the dressage

He told me he played it a bit safe and that it didn’t have the usual sparkle but it looked very polished and when I spoke to coach Michel Assouline afterwards he was beaming.

“It was very good,” he said. “We don’t need to be in the lead at this point, we just have to be close.”

I was pleased he sounded so confident as it always gives you the shivers when a German is in the lead.

It was absolutely roasting hot and very humid when Simon performed. So much so that our camera stopped working. Luckily the Hong Kong Jockey Club helped us out filming Simon’s interview afterwards.

But I hope the temperature significantly lowers for the rest of the team tonight.

Simon was the only Briton riding in this morning’s session. He told me he’d been walking the corridors at his hotel since 5am to keep his legs loosened-up. He said: “They must think I’m some kind of stalker, there I was up and down the hallways all morning.”

I love interviewing Simon. He is extremely funny and after yet another series of brilliant answers from him this morning I told him that he’s “interview gold.” I hope some of his fans back in Jersey will be able to see him on the BBC. The rest of the team go later on.

Lee Pearson is up first in grade 1b. Now there’s a man with some pressure on his shoulders. He has it all to prove once again despite being on a new horse.

Then it’s Sophie Christiansen in 1a. Sophie won bronze individually in Athens on a different horse and this is her first team effort so it’s a big ask for her. Simon said he thinks she’ll shake things up a bit as no one will know what she’s capable of.

Sophie must also be one of the brainiest riders competing here as she’s a maths student in her other life.

Team anchor is Anne Dunham also in the 1a. No one knows better than Anne what’s required for success at the Paralympics. She has won every team gold since the games first included dressage in 1996. A

nne and her gorgeous Welsh section D - Teddy will hopefully give their usual solid performance and Britain will be in a strong position to take the title after tomorrow’s individual tests.

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