Laura Collett goes to the Paris Olympics a more seasoned competitor than when she helped the British team to gold in Japan three years ago.
“For me, the biggest thing I learnt from Tokyo was you really need to treat it like any other competition and not get wrapped up in the enormity of it being an Olympics,” she says as she prepares to ride London 52 at their second Games. “I made mistakes overdoing things, overtraining, and I’m aware of not making the same mistake. It’s sticking to the system and trusting what we’ve done so far has been good enough and don’t try to change anything now.”
The “unique scenario” created by going to the Tokyo Olympics when Covid-19 was still a live concern contributed to Laura’s experiences there.
She explains: “We had a week in quarantine, just me and ‘Dan’, then a week out there before we competed and that’s just a situation we’re not used to. We are so busy all the time, we go from one event to another and have lots of other horses and other distractions. In Tokyo we had a two-week window of focusing on one horse and one thought process – ‘This is the Olympics, I need to do more, be better’ – and that changed the process that had worked and been successful.
“I am being strict with myself not to make the same mistake. I felt like Tokyo was a huge learning curve and I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to go to another Games and put right what we got wrong at the last one.
“Dan is my horse of a lifetime and has done so much for me. Since Tokyo, there’s been one aim – to keep him in one piece and keep the results good to have another crack at an Olympics – and it feels like everything’s meant to be. Tokyo being delayed a year meant he had the opportunity to go as he’d never have been ready the year before and then having a three-year cycle means he’s still a good age. It feels like the stars have aligned.”
Laura also learnt from the World Championships in 2022, when she had a run-out across country at a skinny fence at the bottom of the infamous Slide.
“We’ll cross-country school the week before Paris to make sure he’s not going into it too fresh. We made that mistake at the worlds and tried to wrap him up too much, so he came out like a raging bull. It’s a fine line with horses, especially as they get older, so it’s just ticking boxes and doing the same thing as has been working.”
Laura says that between now and Paris, it’s a case of having “a very clear plan for each day of what needs to be done and how to achieve it”.
“It’s looking ahead but equally taking each day as it comes, one day at a time, each day leads to the next and not getting ahead of myself. I’ll be thinking back to things that worked in Tokyo and things that didn’t and making sure I have a clear plan between now and the Games,” she says.
The rider says those in the hunt knew what day performance manager Dickie Waygood would call to tell them whether they had been selected.
She explains: “It seemed like the longest day in the world and every time the phone rang it was like, no, it’s not Dickie. I didn’t want to pick up to anyone else. Then when you see his name it’s mixed emotions, what if it’s good, what if it’s bad? You get to a place where you’ve been waiting all day and you don’t want to answer it. What if you don’t want to hear?
“Then it’s shock, relief. You think, ‘How will I react if I get the phone call?’ When it happens, you don’t know what to say. You’re star struck, you think, ‘Oh my god, is this just a dream or is it actually happening?’”
Having been to the Covid-struck, spectator-free Tokyo Games, Laura Collett is looking forward to having full stands at the Paris Olympics, especially as London 52 enjoys a big atmosphere and shows off to a crowd.
“I went to the London Olympics and was in the stands for showjumping day of the eventing and for one of the pure dressage days, so I kind of feel like I know roughly what the atmosphere will be like. Tokyo was a real buzz even with empty stadiums and I remember thinking, ‘Imagine what it would be like with people in the stands’ so I’m excited to experience that first hand.”
London 52’s owners Karen Bartlett and Keith Scott will attend the Games and Laura’s four closest friends have recently nabbed tickets for showjumping day.
“His owners came to Tokyo and no one else, so I’m really excited to have my friends and my Mum there – it feels extra special to have the people that mean the most to me there to experience it alongside me,” she says.
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