Team GB gold medallist ‘wished she wasn’t British’ and fights back tears at Olympics 2024 | Other | Sport

Laura Collett admitted that she was ‘sad’ to be British before winning two Olympic medals for Team GB on Monday. The 34-year-old won their first gold of the Games alongside Rosalind Canter and Tom McEwen in the team eventing before scooping bronze in the individual jumping competition.

Collett’s bronze marked her first individual Olympic medal and came just months after she thought she had no chance of making the Team GB squad. In an emotional interview with BBC Sport, she admitted that she was not expecting to make the cut before the four-person team was announced earlier this year.

“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,” said Collett while fighting back tears.

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“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. 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.