Laura Collett

Last updated

Laura Collett
MBE
Laura Collett.jpg
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born (1989-08-31) 31 August 1989 (age 34)
Leamington Spa
Sport
CountryUnited Kingdom
SportEquestrian
Event Eventing
Medal record
Representing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2020 Tokyo Team eventing

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

Contents

Early life and career

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

Laura 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, Laura and London 52 were selected to represent Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo that 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.

Personal life

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. [12] [13]

International Championship results

Results
YearEventHorsePlacingNotes
2005European Pony ChampionshipsNoble SpringbokGold medal icon.svgTeam
Bronze medal icon.svgIndividual
2006European Junior ChampionshipsFernhill SoxSilver medal icon.svgTeam
Gold medal icon.svgIndividual
2007European Junior ChampionshipsRayefGold medal icon.svgTeam
Gold medal icon.svgIndividual
2008World Cup FinalFernhill Sox13th
2009European Young Rider ChampionshipsRayefGold medal icon.svgTeam
Gold medal icon.svgIndividual
2010European Young Rider ChampionshipsFernhill CristalGold medal icon.svgTeam
8thIndividual
2011European ChampionshipsRayefELIndividual
2013World Young Horse ChampionshipsObos CooleyWDCCI**
2014World Young Horse ChampionshipsPamero 4Bronze medal icon.svgCCI**
ControeWDCCI**
2015European ChampionshipsGrand Manoeuvre13thIndividual
World Young Horse ChampionshipsMr BassGold medal icon.svgCCI**
Cooley Again16thCCI**
2017World Young Horse ChampionshipsSir Papillon4thCCI**
2019European ChampionshipsLondon 52ELIndividual
2020World Young Horse ChampionshipsMoonlight CharmerELCCI3*-L
2021Olympic GamesLondon 52Gold medal icon.svgTeam
9thIndividual
2022World ChampionshipsLondon 524thTeam
40thIndividual
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

CCI5* results

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
201030th (Ginger May Killinghurst)
20118th (Rayef)40th (Noble Bestman)
2012RET (Noble Bestman)
201349th (Noble Bestman)
2014Did Not Participate
201528th (Grand Manoeuvre)
201622nd (Grand Manoeuvre)
2017Did Not Participate
2018Did Not Participate
2019WD (Mr Bass)
2020Cancelled due to COVID-19Cancelled due to COVID-19Cancelled due to COVID-19Cancelled due to COVID-19Gold medal icon.svg (London 52)

16th (Mr Bass)

Cancelled due to COVID-19
2021Cancelled due to COVID-19Cancelled due to COVID-19RET (Dacapo)Cancelled due to COVID-19
2022Gold medal icon.svg (London 52)
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

Notable horses

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References

  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.
  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. Kelly, Eleanore (26 October 2020). "Death threats and near-lethal accidents - Meet Laura Collett, the equestrian rider lucky to be alive". telegraph.co.uk.
  13. Armytage, Marcus (9 July 2013). "British eventing star Laura Collett spends second night in intensive care following fall". telegraph.co.uk.