‘I just took it on'

Making a team debut at an Olympics? No problem. Polly Bryan speaks to riders whose first championship experience has been on the biggest stage of all

- Polly Bryan

THE Olympics are widely hailed as being unlike any other championship. The pinnacle of sport, and the coming together of athletes from all walks of life – riders across the disciplines spend their lives dreaming of representing their country on the biggest sporting stage of all. For those select few who do make it, the Olympics is invariably a highlight of their career.

But what about those whose championship career kicks off, not with a European Championship or World Equestrian Games (WEG), but with the big one – an Olympic Games? While some riders collect multiple caps, and even medals, before making it to an Olympics, several top riders’ team debut happened to coincide with an Olympic year.

British dressage rider Spencer Wilton made his team debut at Rio in 2016, riding Super Nova II, with whom he went on to compete at the 2017 Europeans and 2018 WEG.

“The gravity of being on an Olympic team is a life-changing experience, and I was probably slightly oblivious to that at the time because I was a newcomer to the team,” says Spencer, who came away with a team silver medal.

“Looking back, any change here or there in the selection process and my life could have taken a very different path. There was so much at stake – it’s probably a good job I didn’t quite grasp that at the time! The Olympics are career-changing in a way European or World Championships are not.”