Years of Preparation (Part 2)- Olympic Gold Medal Winner Nick Skelton

This summer showjumper Nick Skelton became the second Bablake former pupil to win an Olympic Gold medal within recent memory. In winning a team medal in Eventing, he emulated the performance of Robert Clift who won a Gold Medal for Hockey in the Seoul Olympics of 1988.

The BBC website described Nick Skelton's performance as a fairytale, not only because this was Great Britain's first Showjumping gold medal for 60 years but also because at 54 and 52 respectively, Nick Skelton and Peter Charles had defeated riders years younger, both after horrendous injuries previously that had threatened their riding careers.

For Nick Skelton the gold was reward for six visits to the Olympics and more than he could have dreamt of when he broke his neck in two places before the 2000 Sydney games and spent five months immobilised in the upper half of his spine.

Surgeons had said another fall could prove fatal and it was only after consultation with a German specialist that he began riding again in 2002. Nick's determination to overcome this hiccup and then drive himself towards this amazing achievement this summer is a staggering example for our pupils and their peers.

We look forward to being able to celebrate future sporting success of some of our young equestrians like Lucy Farrington and all the young sporting stars in other sports. They know how many hours, months and years they will spend training and competing but Nick Skelton's fairytale ending will certainly help inspire them.

Footnote:
Glenn Snyder also competed in this year's Olympics, representing New Zealand in swimming. He set two national records in the 100m and 200m breaststroke.