An athlete from Amersham has won bronze in her debut Paralympic Games.
Competing with her horse Athene Lindebjerg, Mari Durward-Akhurst, 30, travelled to Paris and competed in the Grade 1 Freestyle event. Despite coming sixth in the first round, they succeeded against the odds and secured a bronze medal in the final.
Mari has cerebral palsy, which affects all four of her limbs, and began riding at her local Riding for the Disabled Association group after it was recommended as a form of therapy in 2005.
She said: “My disability has made it hard for me to make friends and I used to get bullied a lot as I was different to other children and much slower than them.
“But then I found riding and things changed as it was something that I could do which helped me physically, as I started it as a form of therapy, but also mentally as it was something that I was good at and I could excel at.
“Living with a changing condition has its challenges but my motto is “everything happens for a reason” and I’m a fighter!!”
Mari is an extremely accomplished rider, having won several national and internation titles, and this year she has made her paralympic debut.
In an interview with British Equestrian she described Paris as “a dream come true.”
She rode Athene, a black mare owned by Diane Redfern and who won three gold medals in Rio with her previous partner.
Mari and Athene are currently ranked world number one in the FEI world rankings for Para Dressage.
Photo Credit: Mari Durward-Akhurst/British Dressage
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