Charlotte Fry celebrates adding individual bronze to team triumph
Charlotte Fry described winning her first individual Olympic medal in the dressage Grand Prix Freestyle as “crazy”.
Fresh from winning bronze in the team event on Saturday, Fry and her stallion Glamourdale achieved a mark of 88.971 per cent to secure another bronze, behind German riders Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Isabell Werth.
The competition went down to the final rider, with Cathrine Laudrup-Dafour scoring 88.093 per cent to ensure Fry’s position on the podium, although she admitted she was unaware of her win until the very last moment.
“The support from the crowd was amazing and the prizegiving was just insane – that feeling of going round with Jessica and Isabell, two idols and huge inspirations in our sport, was just incredible.
“I didn’t watch any of them, I knew they were all very good, I kind of didn’t want to disappoint myself and I was happy with my ride. We were on way back to the stables and thought we’d better check the scores before we started packing up and suddenly a lot of screaming was going on!
“To get the team bronze yesterday was amazing and I think it was so well deserved and then to get an individual medal is crazy.”
Fellow Brits Carl Hester and Becky Moody also competed, finishing sixth and eighth respectively.
“She’s always in my thoughts but especially at an Olympics,” said Fry.
“She was also on the team with Carl in ’92, so the fact I’m on teams with him now is very special. I think she is with me all the time and I hope she would be proud of me.”
Following Saturday’s team achievement, Hester indicated retirement from the saddle could now be on the horizon and after achieving a mark of 85.161 per cent aboard Fame, he felt it could be a perfect way to sign off his Olympic era.
He said: “There’s two ways of looking at it – either I’m getting better because today was my best day or I should stop now and not watch the downfall like so many.
“I also have a life, I’ve got other things to do. I’m not getting out of the sport, I would just train and teach more. I love still training and riding and I love training people, that’s my passion.”
For Moody, her eighth place concluded her Olympic debut after stepping into the team at the last moment following the withdrawal and provisional suspension of Charlotte Dujardin.
She performed to a Tom Jones Medley aboard Jagerbomb and after Snoop Dogg watched her performance on Saturday, actors Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes witnessed her Sunday spin.
“Snoop Dogg is quite cool isn’t it? It’s just great for the sport, we need all the positive publicity we can get so let’s embrace it,” she said.
“It’s been quite the experience. I go back to Yorkshire now, arrive home tomorrow and I have a full day of teaching booked on Tuesday and Wednesday. Because I was expecting to have a lovely holiday here, I’m fully booked for work when I get home.”