Wokingham’s paralympic equestrian Sophie Christiansen had a stunning start at Rio, beating 24 riders to finish top in her event on Monday.
Her score was the highest mark of the competition so far.
Sophie, 28, who went to All Saints Primary School, Wokingham, was competing in the Grade 1a team test for the most disabled riders. She was riding her horse Athene who managed to recover from an infection just in time to travel to Brazil.
Sophie’s stunning work
A team spokesman said: “Showing some stunning work in the arena, the judges agreed with high marks awarded across the board for a final total score of 77.522%.”
Sophie, whom discovered the joy of riding while at All Saints, said: “Athene’s so young [at nine years old] so to cope with that arena I was over the moon. It felt a bit tentative today, but I know that there’s more to come.
“Athene’s been absolutely amazing, for any nine-year-old to go out and do that, she doesn’t really like noise but she absolutely knows her job.”
Monday was not a medalling opportunity but medals in the Grade 1a can be won in the individual classes on Thursday and Friday. Scores are combined.