Sophie Wells is one of Britain’s greatest equestrian Paralympians but she told AFP she is no longer as single-minded about winning gold as she once was, saying the euphoria “lasts only a few moments and then you are back to your normal life.”
The 34-year-old dressage star made it a full house of medals when she won bronze on Wednesday, to go with her four golds and four silvers accrued in London, Rio and Tokyo.
Wells could add to her collection — she has 39 championship medals in all — with the team competition on Friday and the freestyle on Saturday.
Wells, who was born with amniotic band syndrome and as a result has no feeling or little movement in her feet and has lost several fingers, says time has mellowed her since her first Paralympics in London 12 years ago.
“I am definitely more emotional than I was in London,” she told AFP by phone from the team base in Versailles.
“I am not taking anything for granted, I am very grateful for any medal of any colour.
“As time has gone on I am very grateful to be in the position I am in as so many people do not get to that place.”
Wells said the person she is now could not be further removed from the one in 2012 when she won team gold and two individual silver medals.
“I was very naive, highly competitive and very single-minded, focused on wanting to win gold in London,” she said.
“Naivety is a great thing but winning made me neither grateful nor happy.
“I was achieving something that should make me happy and you would think that.
“When you win gold you do feel happy automatically but it lasts only a few moments, then you are straight back to your normal life.
“It is a dangerous situation if you identify on being a gold medallist, as very few will be.
“You are setting yourself up to be a failure.”
‘Drives her mad’
It is extraordinary that Wells has achieved so much in the equestrian world considering she is allergic to horses.
Brought up on a farm as a toddler she used to ride Shetland ponies until it became clear how strong a reaction she had.
“Quite a few years later I went to the local riding school and I was still very allergic,” she said.
“My parents had steered me towards swimming and gym but I was relatively rubbish at those.
“I was drawn back to horses and I was less allergic.
“However, I am still definitely allergic, whether clipping horses, grooming them, or when I am around hay and straw.”
Wells has competed at the highest level against able-bodied riders on the Grand Prix circuit, making the Olympics a not impossible dream.
“I would love to be an Olympian, it is something you dream about though it is rather way out there,” she said.
“You can be a great rider but if you have no horse power, you do not get there.”
Wells has won all her medals largely through her sublime talent but she also has her lucky charms.
One is a necklace, originally with two hearts given to her by her brother but it has now become three.
“I lost my dog, Tia, last year who I had had since I was 21,” she said.
“So I got another heart to add to the necklace, which I never take off.”
The other one is more offbeat, a toy giraffe called Daphne who is with her at the training camp.
“I have had her since 2009, my coach (Angela Weiss) bought her for me before my first European Championships.
“She has been with me for all 39 medal-winning performances.
“It is literally the last thing I ask my coach before I go out into the arena – has she got her? And it drives her mad!”
