Preston Olympian a day away from gold bid

10:43am Monday 18th August 2008

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Preston Olympian Emma Hindle is just 24 hours away from a shot at a gold medal in Hong Kong.

Emma, part of the Great Britain equestrian team, finished 9th out of 25 in Saturday’s individual dressage event final, first round.

Her score of 70.440 percent, onboard Lancet, will be carried over to the final in Hong Kong tomorrow.

Speaking to the BBC after the event, the 33-year-old, who was born in Preston but now lives in Germany, admitted she had not expected to make the final.

She said: “My result is more than I ever dreamed of as we had our ups and downs this season. It is all very well being good but to do it when it matters is what is important and is what we all strive to achieve."

"I'm really happy with him (Lancet) and all week I had been focusing on my Grand Prix preparation for the team.

"I had a really positive feeling throughout the test and he just got better and better. I'm really proud of the way he coped with the atmosphere and conditions and I have proved to myself I can do it when it really matters."

Her fellow Brit Laura Bechtolsheimer missed out on a place in the final as her score of 67.160 percent on Mistral Hojris meant she finished 18th.

Germany's gold medal favourite Isabell Werth, on Satchmo, finished in first place with 75.200 percent.