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Laura Collett

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Laura Collett
Collett in 2010
Personal information
Born (1989-08-31) 31 August 1989 (age 35)
Leamington Spa, England
Sport
CountryUnited Kingdom
SportEquestrian
EventEventing
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Team eventing
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Team eventing
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Individual eventing

Laura Collett MBE (born 31 August 1989) is a British equestrian who competes in eventing.[1][2]

Early life and career

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Collett won the supreme pony title at Horse of the Year Show in 2003 when she was 13. She won nine medals during her youth career, including three individual golds, in the juniors in 2006 on Fernhill Sox, in the juniors in 2007 on Rayef, and the young riders in 2009 again on Rayef.[3]

Career

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Collett has been selected for three European Eventing Championships as an individual. She was eliminated on the cross-country on her senior championship debut at Luhmühlen in 2011, but finished 13th at the 2015 championships at Blair Castle on Grand Manoeuvre. Collett was second at Luhmühlen five-star in 2018 on Mr Bass, but she achieved her first five-star win in October 2020 when she took the title at the Pau Horse Trials, France, riding her own, Keith Scott and Karen Bartlett's horse London 52 and therefore has the honour of winning the only five-star of 2020 because the eventing calendar that year had been decimated by COVID-19.[4] The horse had previously been the 2018 eight- and nine-year-old champion at Blenheim Horse Trials,[5] as well as winning the Event Rider Masters at Chatsworth Horse Trials[6] and the CCI4*-L at the Boekelo Horse Trials,[7] both in 2019. But he had also fallen at the 2019 European Eventing Championships in Luhmühlen having sat third after the dressage.[8]

In 2021, eight years after her near-fatal accident, Collett and London 52 were selected to represent Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo that had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. She won gold in the team event with Oliver Townend and Tom McEwen.[9]

Collett was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism.[10][11]

In 2022, Collett won the Badminton Horse Trials. Riding London 52, she led from start to finish, setting an all time Badminton record finishing score of 21.4.

In June 2024, she was confirmed as part of the Great Britain team to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics on London 52.[12] She won gold in the team event with Rosalind Canter and Tom McEwen.

Personal life

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Following a heavy fall from her horse in 2013, Collett had to be resuscitated five times and given an emergency tracheotomy by paramedics after suffering a fractured shoulder, broken ribs, a punctured lung, a lacerated liver and damage to her kidneys. Also, a fragment of her shoulder bone had detached and travelled to her right eye through her blood stream and damaged the optic nerve. She was placed in an induced coma for six days.[13][14]

International Championship results

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Results
Year Event Horse Placing Notes
2005 European Pony Championships Noble Springbok 1st place, gold medalist(s) Team
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Individual
2006 European Junior Championships Fernhill Sox 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Team
1st place, gold medalist(s) Individual
2007 European Junior Championships Rayef 1st place, gold medalist(s) Team
1st place, gold medalist(s) Individual
2008 World Cup Final Fernhill Sox 13th
2009 European Young Rider Championships Rayef 1st place, gold medalist(s) Team
1st place, gold medalist(s) Individual
2010 European Young Rider Championships Fernhill Cristal 1st place, gold medalist(s) Team
8th Individual
2011 European Championships Rayef EL Individual
2013 World Young Horse Championships Obos Cooley WD CCI**
2014 World Young Horse Championships Pamero 4 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) CCI**
Controe WD CCI**
2015 European Championships Grand Manoeuvre 13th Individual
World Young Horse Championships Mr Bass 1st place, gold medalist(s) CCI**
Cooley Again 16th CCI**
2017 World Young Horse Championships Sir Papillon 4th CCI**
2019 European Championships London 52 EL Individual
2020 World Young Horse Championships Moonlight Charmer EL CCI3*-L
2021 Olympic Games London 52 1st place, gold medalist(s) Team
9th Individual
2022 World Championships London 52 4th Team
40th Individual
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

CCI5* results

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Results
Event Kentucky (USA)

late April

Badminton (UK)

early May

Luhmühlen (Germany)

June

Burghley (UK)

early September

Pau (France)

late October

Adelaide (Australia)

early November

Maryland
2010 30th (Ginger May Killinghurst)
2011 8th (Rayef) 40th (Noble Bestman)
2012 RET (Noble Bestman)
2013 49th (Noble Bestman)
2014 Did Not Participate
2015 28th (Grand Manoeuvre)
2016 22nd (Grand Manoeuvre)
2017 Did Not Participate
2018 Did Not Participate
2019 WD (Mr Bass)
2020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 Cancelled due to COVID-19 Cancelled due to COVID-19 Cancelled due to COVID-19 1st place, gold medalist(s) (London 52)

16th (Mr Bass)

Cancelled due to COVID-19
2021 Cancelled due to COVID-19 Cancelled due to COVID-19 RET (Dacapo) Cancelled due to COVID-19
2022 1st place, gold medalist(s) (London 52)
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

Notable horses

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  • Fernhill Sox
    • 2006 European Junior Championships - team silver, individual gold
  • Rayef
    • 2007 European Junior Championships - team & individual gold
    • 2009 European Young Rider Championships - team & individual gold
  • Fernhill Cristal
    • 2010 European Young Rider Championships - team gold, individual 8th
  • Mr Bass
    • 2015 World Young Horse champion
    • 2018 Luhmühlen 5* runner up
  • London 52
    • 2018 Blenheim 4* 8&9 year old winner
    • 2020 Pau 5* winner
    • 2021 Olympic Games - team gold, individual 9th
    • 2022 Badminton 5* winner
    • Badminton 5* finishing score record holder (21.4)

References

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  1. ^ "Laura Collett - About". Fédération Équestre Internationale (fei.org).
  2. ^ "Laura Collett". SELLERIA EQUIPE SPA (selleriaequipe.it).
  3. ^ "Laura Collett, the latest news on the British event rider". Horse & Hound.
  4. ^ "Laura Collett's exclusive reflections on Pau: 'Now, London believes in himself' *H&H Plus members*". Horse & Hound. 28 October 2020.
  5. ^ Berendt, Tilly. "Balancing the Lows with the Highs: Laura Collett and London 52 Take Blenheim CIC3* - Eventing Nation - Three-Day Eventing News, Results, Videos, and Commentary". eventingnation.com.
  6. ^ "Popular British rider scores a first Event Rider Masters win at Chatsworth". www.horseandhound.co.uk. 13 May 2019.
  7. ^ Berendt, Tilly. "Laura Collett Takes Boekelo; Switzerland Qualify for Olympics - Eventing Nation - Three-Day Eventing News, Results, Videos, and Commentary". eventingnation.com.
  8. ^ Redrup, Gemma (31 August 2019). "Laura Collett falls but Pippa Funnell goes clear at halfway stage of European Eventing Championships cross-country". Horse & Hound.
  9. ^ Roome, Pippa (1 July 2021). "*Breaking news* British Olympic eventing team for Tokyo Games revealed". Horse & Hound.
  10. ^ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N18.
  11. ^ "New Year Honours 2022: Jason Kenny receives a knighthood and Laura Kenny made a dame". BBC Sport. 31 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Team GB equestrian squads unveiled for Paris 2024". TeamGB. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  13. ^ Kelly, Eleanore (26 October 2020). "Death threats and near-lethal accidents - Meet Laura Collett, the equestrian rider lucky to be alive". telegraph.co.uk.
  14. ^ Armytage, Marcus (9 July 2013). "British eventing star Laura Collett spends second night in intensive care following fall". telegraph.co.uk.
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