Laura Collett
{{short description|British equestrian (born 1989)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| headercolor = lightblue
| honorific_suffix = MBE
| name = Laura Collett
| image = Laura Collett.jpg
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| caption = Collett in 2010
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|8|31|df=y}}
| birth_place = Leamington Spa, England
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| country = United Kingdom
| sport = Equestrian
| event = Eventing
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| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{GBR2}} }}
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalGold|2020 Tokyo|Team eventing}}
{{MedalGold|2024 Paris|Team eventing}}
{{MedalBronze|2024 Paris|Individual eventing}}
}}
Laura Collett (born 31 August 1989) is a British equestrian who competes in eventing.{{Cite web |title=Laura Collett - About |url=https://www.fei.org/athlete/10013696/COLLETT-Laura |website=Fédération Équestre Internationale (fei.org)}}{{Cite web |title=Laura Collett |url=https://www.selleriaequipe.it/en/testimonial/laura-collett/ |website=SELLERIA EQUIPE SPA (selleriaequipe.it)}}
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.{{Cite web |url=https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/tag/laura-collett |title=Laura Collett, the latest news on the British event rider |website=Horse & Hound}}
Career
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.{{Cite web |url=https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/plus/opinion/laura-collett-reflections-pau-horse-trial-win-728707 |title=Laura Collett's exclusive reflections on Pau: 'Now, London believes in himself' *H&H Plus members* |date=28 October 2020 |website=Horse & Hound}}
The horse had previously been the 2018 eight- and nine-year-old champion at Blenheim Horse Trials,{{Cite web |url=https://eventingnation.com/balancing-the-lows-with-the-highs-laura-collett-and-london-52-take-blenheim-cic3/ |title=Balancing the Lows with the Highs: Laura Collett and London 52 Take Blenheim CIC3* - Eventing Nation - Three-Day Eventing News, Results, Videos, and Commentary |first=Tilly |last=Berendt |website=eventingnation.com}} as well as winning the Event Rider Masters at Chatsworth Horse Trials{{Cite web |url=https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/chatsworth-laura-collett-2019-687067/amp |title=Popular British rider scores a first Event Rider Masters win at Chatsworth |website=www.horseandhound.co.uk|date=13 May 2019 }}
and the CCI4*-L at the Boekelo Horse Trials,{{Cite web |url=https://eventingnation.com/laura-collett-takes-boekelo-switzerland-qualify-for-olympics/ |title=Laura Collett Takes Boekelo; Switzerland Qualify for Olympics - Eventing Nation - Three-Day Eventing News, Results, Videos, and Commentary |first=Tilly |last=Berendt |website=eventingnation.com}} both in 2019. But he had also fallen at the 2019 European Eventing Championships in Luhmühlen having sat third after the dressage.{{Cite web |url=https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/european-eventing-championships-cross-country-2019-695506 |title=Laura Collett falls but Pippa Funnell goes clear at halfway stage of European Eventing Championships cross-country |first=Gemma |last=Redrup |date=31 August 2019 |website=Horse & Hound}}
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.{{Cite web |url=https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/british-olympic-eventing-team-for-tokyo-games-749709 |title=*Breaking news* British Olympic eventing team for Tokyo Games revealed |first=Pippa |last=Roome |date=1 July 2021 |website=Horse & Hound}}
Collett was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism.{{London Gazette|issue=63571|supp=y|page=N18|date=1 January 2022}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/59828368 |title=New Year Honours 2022: Jason Kenny receives a knighthood and Laura Kenny made a dame |date=31 December 2021 |work=BBC Sport}}
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.{{cite web|url=https://www.teamgb.com/article/team-gb-equestrian-squads-unveiled-for-paris-2024/4hD67Z4ghdhzyEyf1reRnV|website=TeamGB|accessdate=27 June 2024|title= Team GB equestrian squads unveiled for Paris 2024|date=26 June 2024}} She won gold in the team event with Rosalind Canter and Tom McEwen.
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.{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Eleanore |date=26 October 2020 |title=Death threats and near-lethal accidents - Meet Laura Collett, the equestrian rider lucky to be alive |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/equestrianism/2020/10/26/murderous-threats-near-lethal-accidents-heart-breaking-fatalities/amp/ |website=telegraph.co.uk}}{{Cite web |last=Armytage |first=Marcus |date=9 July 2013 |title=British eventing star Laura Collett spends second night in intensive care following fall |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/10170198/British-eventing-star-Laura-Collett-spends-second-night-in-intensive-care-following-fall.html |website=telegraph.co.uk}}
International Championship results
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||
| colspan="11" align="center" | Results | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year
! Event ! Horse ! Placing !Notes | ||
| rowspan="2" | 2005 | rowspan="2" | European Pony Championships | rowspan="2" |Noble Springbok
|{{Gold01}} |Team |
| {{Bronze03}}
|Individual | ||
| rowspan="2" | 2006 | rowspan="2" | European Junior Championships | rowspan="2" |Fernhill Sox
|{{Silver02}} |Team |
| {{Gold01}}
|Individual | ||
| rowspan="2" | 2007 | rowspan="2" | European Junior Championships | rowspan="2" |Rayef
|{{Gold01}} |Team |
| {{Gold01}}
|Individual | ||
| 2008 | World Cup Final | Fernhill Sox
|13th | |
| rowspan="2" | 2009 | rowspan="2" | European Young Rider Championships | rowspan="2" |Rayef
|{{Gold01}} |Team |
| {{Gold01}}
|Individual | ||
| rowspan="2" | 2010 | rowspan="2" | European Young Rider Championships | rowspan="2" |Fernhill Cristal
|{{Gold01}} |Team |
| 8th
|Individual | ||
| 2011 | European Championships | Rayef
|EL |Individual |
| 2013 | World Young Horse Championships | Obos Cooley
|WD |CCI** |
| rowspan="2" | 2014 | rowspan="2" | World Young Horse Championships
| Pamero 4 |{{Bronze03}} |CCI** | |
| Controe
|WD |CCI** | ||
| rowspan="3" | 2015 | European Championships | Grand Manoeuvre
|13th |Individual |
| rowspan="2" | World Young Horse Championships
|Mr Bass |{{Gold01}} |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 |
| rowspan="2" | 2021 | rowspan="2" | Olympic Games | rowspan="2" | London 52
|{{Gold01}} |Team |
| 9th
|Individual | ||
| rowspan="2" | 2022 | rowspan="2" | World Championships | rowspan="2" | London 52
|4th |Team |
| 40th
|Individual | ||
| colspan="11" align="center" | EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew |
CCI5* results
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |
| colspan="12" style="text-align:center" | 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
| colspan="6" |Did Not Participate |
| 2015
| |28th (Grand Manoeuvre) | | | | |
| 2016
| |22nd (Grand Manoeuvre) | | | | |
| 2017
| colspan="6" |Did Not Participate |
| 2018
| colspan="6" |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 |{{Gold01}} (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
| |{{Gold01}} (London 52) |
| colspan="12" style="text-align:center" | EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew |
Notable horses
- 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
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{FEI|10013696}}
- {{Olympedia}}
- {{Olympics.com profile|laura-collett}}
- {{Team GB}}
{{Olympic champions – Equestrian team eventing}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collett, Laura}}
Category:British female equestrians
Category:Equestrians at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Category:Equestrians at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Category:Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic medalists in equestrian
Category:Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
Category:Olympic equestrians for Great Britain
Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Sportspeople from Leamington Spa