Baker praises 'Mary Poppins' horse as GB win bronzes

Great Britain rider Natasha Baker admitted she struggled pinch balancing title and motherhood aft winning her ninth Paralympic equestrian badge pinch bronze successful nan Grade III individual event.

She was followed successful winning bronze by team-mate Georgia Wilson, who vanished 3rd connected Sakura successful nan Grade II competition.

Fellow Briton Mari Durward-Akhurst was classed number 1 successful nan Grade I category, but grounded to scope nan podium.

All 3 women will return connected Saturday for their respective individual freestyle competitions aft qualifying by kindness of their apical 8 finishes successful Tuesday’s events.

Baker, who has won six Paralympic golden medals since 2012, is taking portion successful her first awesome title aft 20 months out, since she gave commencement to boy Joshua successful April 2023.

The 34-year-old described nan equilibrium of athletics and motherhood arsenic being for illustration “having a cardinal tabs unfastened connected your computer”, but praised her support squad and her equine Dawn Chorus – who she calls Lottie.

Baker’s people of 73.167 connected Dawn Chorus saw her decorativeness third, arsenic world number 1 Rebecca Hart took golden for USA connected Floratina pinch 77.900, while metallic went to Dutch rider Rixt van der Horst connected Royal Fonq pinch 76.433.

But, successful an at-times tearful interview, she said that being capable to compete successful her 4th Games, successful beforehand of her young family, was much important than immoderate medal.

"I'm truthful thrilled, she [Dawn Chorus] was specified a superstar,” she said. “She stayed pinch maine nan full way, we didn't person rather arsenic overmuch pizazz arsenic successful perfect circumstances but we didn't get immoderate hostility either, and that's what I wanted.

"I didn't spot Joshua this greeting arsenic I was up astatine immoderate ungodly hour, truthful I said goodnight to him past night, and past I was blowing a buss to him astatine nan extremity of nan test."

Paris saw a reunion betwixt Baker and Dawn Chorus, who she has ridden for 5 years including to squad golden astatine nan 2020 Paralympics successful Tokyo.

It was an unexpected reunion to immoderate extent, arsenic Baker said she had thought she not getting selected for nan GB squad astatine nan extremity of past year.

Asked astir winning a medal, she said: "I don't really care. If you had told maine I was moreover going to beryllium selected for Paris past Christmas, I would person laughed successful your face.

"To travel backmost is testament to my astonishing team, I consciousness truthful fortunate and grateful to person this astonishing opportunity to show nan world really astonishing Lottie is. So, who cares what nan results are, I'm truthful happy pinch her.

"It was really difficult [to get backmost successful nan saddle]. I deliberation I was naive astir nan pregnancy, coming backmost from it. My gestation was harder than I imagined it would be, I knew it would beryllium a situation physically and I knew getting backmost connected it would return time.

“Lottie has truthful overmuch activity and power, erstwhile I sewage her it took maine a twelvemonth to beryllium done her trot. But I knew if I was coming back, she would beryllium nan 1 to get maine to this position. I telephone her Mary Poppins, she is practically cleanable successful each way.

"I'm not arsenic fresh arsenic I was successful Tokyo, I'm juggling being nan champion mum I tin beryllium and nan champion jock I tin be. The juggle is real, you cognize connected your machine erstwhile you person a cardinal tabs open, that's my encephalon astatine each times, anyone who is simply a mum will understand."

The upwind made it a difficult arena for each nan Grade III competitors, arsenic dense rainfall fell passim nan greeting astatine Versailles – though it eased up successful nan day for Grades I and II.

"Literally, this is my worst nightmare,” said Baker of nan conditions. “Tokyo was nan cleanable script for maine - hot, really sunny. This is not ideal, we stayed nether nan covered arena arsenic agelong arsenic possible, past it really eased disconnected during my test.”

It was barren for Wilson, who won her 3rd Paralympic bronze badge pursuing 2 3rd spot finishes successful Tokyo.

World number 1 Fiona Howard of USA won golden connected Diamond Dunes pinch a people of 76.931, while Denmark’s Katrine Kristensen took metallic connected Goerklintgaards Quarter pinch 73.966 .

Wilson and Sakura scored 73.414, and afterwards she admitted it is getting tougher for Great Britain to predominate Para-equestrian for illustration they utilized to.

Britain person won nan astir golden medals successful Para-equestrian astatine each Games since 1996 – erstwhile it was introduced – and person 34 successful total. USA, 2nd successful nan all-time golden table, person nine.

“I knew coming successful it was very uncommon [unlikely] for maine to get a badge and difficult activity if I was to get one,” said Wilson. “But everyone is conscionable getting amended and better.”

Britain’s last badge dream connected Tuesday was Durward-Akhurst, who had ne'er antecedently grounded to decorativeness connected nan podium while riding existent equine Athene Lindebjerg since nan commencement of 2023.

But connected her Paralympic debut successful Versailles, nan brace were incapable to present a badge pinch a sixth-place finish.

Latvia's Rihard Snikus won gold, pinch Roxanne Trunnel claiming a 3rd American badge of nan time successful second. Sara Morganti of Italy won bronze.

Durward-Akhurst said she had struggled pinch nerves connected nan greeting of nan competition, but insisted that she and her equine could not person done immoderate more.

"It was a batch of pressure, this greeting has been a nightmare,” she said. “But erstwhile I sewage connected her [Athene Lindebjerg], she went into that arena and I knew she was going to look aft me.

"I was getting myself successful a authorities [this morning], trying to find things to do to support myself occupied.

"We couldn't person done immoderate more."

All 4 of Britain’s equestrian squad – Baker, Durward-Akhurst, Wilson and Sophie Wells – will besides compete successful nan squad arena connected Friday, pinch Wells successful Grade V individual action connected Wednesday.