It was time for U.S. riders to deliver their best in the Paralympics, and that’s what they did Tuesday, as equestrian competition got under way in Paris with 78 riders, the largest entry ever for such an event.
Rebecca Hart and Floratina secured individual gold in their first test, earning a personal best score of 77.9 percent in FEI Grand Prix Test A in Grade I for their first individual podium finish together. It is Becca’s fifth Paralympic Games representing the United States, but the gold marks the first individual Paralympic medal of her career.
Becca Hart and Floratina against the backdrop of the Chateau de Versailles. (US Equestrian Photo)
“It’s been 25 years of trying to get to this point and being close many, many times,” she said.
“To actually get it, I feel like I’m going to wake up at any moment. It’s just surreal. It feels like a dream.”
Meanwhile, Becca’s teammate, Fiona Howard, made her Paralympic debut a winning one that also was a personal best triumph, 76.93 on Diamond Dunes in the Grade II competition.
Fiona Howard and Diamond Dunes (US Equestrian Photo)
“We haven’t been a partnership for that long – only since March when we did our first competition,” Fiona said.
“I just trusted him and he gave me everything in there. I am so proud of him. He’s never let me down.”
Roxie Trunnell earned silver in Grade I with 78 percent on Fan Tastico H behind Rihards Snikus of Latvia on King of the Dance (79.167), a silver medalist at the last Paralympics in Tokyo.
“It was a really beautiful performance, we enjoyed watching it,” said Latvia’s chef d’equipe Darja Tikhomirova, speaking on behalf of Rihards, who is also the reigning Grade I world champion and an active DJ.
“After Tokyo, we came home and said, `Okay, next time, let’s get gold.’ ”
Roxie Trunnell and Fan Tastico H (US Equestrian photo)
Roxie, who was a double gold medalist in 2021 at the Paralympics in Tokyo, said. “We’ve all been working so hard. It’s nice to see it pay off.”
She paid tribute to the influence on U.S. fortunes of Michel Assouline, who spent 12 years as head coach of Great Britain’s para equestrian team before joining Team USA in 2017 as head of para equestrian coach development and high performance consultant.
“He is really good,” Trunnell said. “He got us all straightened up, training harder, with better horses. We have evolved our training and been working so hard. It’s nice to see it pay off.”
U.S. Para medalists: Fiona Howard, Becca Hart, Roxie Trunnell (US Equestrian Photo)
All three U.S. medalists qualified for the freestyle competition later in the Games, where the top eight in each category will compete.
Even before the Paralympics, the U.S. was the number one-rated team in the world. The country looks set to keep that ranking after day one in Paris.
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