OLYMPIC GAMES: Collett's London dream ended (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)
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OLYMPIC GAMES: Collett's London dream ended
10:30pm Monday 11th June 2012 in Sport
Laura Collett
WILTSHIRE rider Laura Collett's hopes of a place in Great Britain's eventing team for the London Olympics were dashed tonight.
Membury-based Collett was not chosen in the five-strong British team to compete at the Games, with the Queen's daughter Zara Phillips chosen alongside William Fox-Pitt, Mary King, Piggy French and Tina Cook.
The 2006 world champion will emulate her mother, the Princess Royal, who competed at the 1976 Montreal Games, while her father Captain Mark Phillips was a team gold medallist at Munich in 1972 and then won silver in Seoul 16 years later.
Phillips will ride High Kingdom at Greenwich Park next month. Her hopes of an Olympic place in 2004 and 2008 were dashed by injuries to her world title-winning horse Toytown.
She clinched her spot with a third-placed finish in yesterday's Bramham International CIC three-star class after posting a personal best dressage score, and then jumping clear in the showjumping and cross-country phases.
The five British Equestrian Federation nominations will now be formally ratified by the British Olympic Association.
World number one Fox-Pitt will ride Lionheart, King will be aboard Imperial Cavalier and Cook with her 2008 double bronze-medal winning horse Miners Frolic.
French, who like Phillips is set for her Olympic debut, will either ride Jakata or DHI Topper.
A three-strong selection panel of Ian Stark, Mandy Stibbe and Angela Tucker made their final deliberations following yesterday's Bramham action.
Bramham was effectively a final selection trial before London, and took on added significance after wet weather caused major pre-Olympic competitions at Badminton and Chatsworth last month to be called off.
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