Great Britain take control in dressage

GREAT Britain took a vice-like grip on the 2012 Paralympic Games team dressage title after three more outstanding performances at Greenwich Park yesterday.

The British quartet of Lee Pearson, Sophie Wells, Deb Criddle and Sophie Christiansen are chasing a fifth successive Paralympic team gold medal.

After Pearson topped the Grade Ib class on Thursday, Wells (IV) and Christiansen (Ia) followed suit yesterday with brilliant displays, and Criddle was second behind defending individual champion Hannelore Brenner in Grade III.

All four riders will contest individual medals over the weekend, with those scores added to their rounds on Thursday and yesterday to decide team medals late tomorrow afternoon.

And the British gold rush should start today with Pearson chasing his tenth Paralympic title and individual rider Natasha Baker (Grade II) also in medal action.

Paralympic debutant Wells had set the tone, topping a 14-strong Grade IV entry.

But it was Criddle who summed up the British mood best, stating: “The motivation is that none of us wants to be on the team that doesn’t bring home the gold medal.”

Riding Pinnochio, 22-year-old Wells from Newark in Nottinghamshire posted her international personal best score of 75.906% to strengthen Britain’s gold medal bid.

“I never cry, but that was amazing. It’s a massive team effort just to get here in the right shape to be able to to do my job. We are so lucky to have the funding from UK Sport and the Lottery to enable us to do that” she explained.

Wells, who was born with amniotic band syndrome that affects her joints became the first para-rider to win an able-bodied dressage international competition at Hickstead four years ago.