Posting a record Olympic Dressage score of 93.857% in the Grand Prix Freestyle, Charlotte Dujardin and the stunning 14-year-old, Valegro, claimed their second successive individual title. Following her gold medals at London 2012, Charlotte is the first British woman to retain an individual Olympic title.
It was two members of Friday’s gold-medal-winning German team that took silver and bronze, Isabel Werth (Weihegold) on a score of 89.071%, ahead of Kristina Broring-sprehe (Desperados) on a mark of 87.142%.
Charlotte and Valegro now hold all the world records in this sport including the Freestyle record of 94.30%, they set at the Olympia Horse Show in 2014. “We set the world record at 94% so I knew it was possible, but to come and do it again here at the Olympics is quite special. Today was magic, in London there was no pressure to take gold, but today I was nervous because I felt the expectation to deliver. But trotting around the arena before the start, Blueberry felt so good it just put a smile on my face and I just knew it was going to be ok. I felt he knew what I was thinking in there and he looked after me, he did his very best. I have a partnership, a connection with this horse that nothing is going to break, he has a heart of gold,” said Charlotte.
