Anne Dunham Wants Another Paralympic Gold

Anne Dunham has a great track record when it comes to the Paralympic Games as she has won five gold medals over the years in the equestrian competition.

I caught up with her to talk about the London 2012 Games and what she hope it will for Paralympic sport in this country.

- The 2012 Paralympic Games are now just a handful of months away so how excited are you at the prospect of a home Games?

Very excited. This year is absolutely flying past - I wanted to be able to stop and savour it but it’s flying past so fast that there’s hardly any time to actually think about this being an Olympic year at home and what a great thing that is.

- There will be more pressure on all our athletes like never before but you have been at Paralympic Games since 1996 so how is this experience going to help in front of a home crowd?

It’ll help me keep my focus because I’ve got the experience of performing in big arenas in front of crowds.

When I get into the arena on the horse, all I think about is me, the horse and the arena.  Then at the end I look up, see the crowd and think 'Gosh that’s fantastic, hope I did well enough for them'.

But having a home crowd will make me do even better because I’ll have been lifted before going into the arena and coming out will be all the more special.

- What are your personal goals for the 2012 Games?

I would love to win three golds - that’s what’s available in the equestrian competition. I’d love to do that, that’s my aim.

- You are a five time gold medallist, so a great track record, so how much pressure do you feel under to repeat that success at home?

I do have a great track record and I’m desperate to perform well at Greenwich.

Like I say, though, once I’m out in the arena I’m able to completely focus on my performance rather than on the crowd and the wider competition.

- So how is training going ahead of the Games? What work still needs to be done between then and now?

Training’s hard but going very well - I’m working with two horses at the moment and have quite a few national and international competitions to come before the team gets announced in July.

- Where does your biggest competition lie?

Actually within the GB squad - as well as myself we have some top, top riders so the competition just to compete at London 2012 is very tough.

- And just how successful do you think the British equestrian team can be? And the whole GB Paralympic squad?

The Para Dressage team has actually never been beaten and we’ve performed very strongly at recent championships - I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to replicate our past successes in the summer.

As for the whole Para GB team, this is a great opportunity to try to top the medal table - we’ve come close in the past and to do so in front of a home crowd would be absolutely magnificent.

- How did you get into the sport in the first place? What do you get out of the sport?

I worked at a stables from when I was 16 so have always loved been around horses.

I didn’t actually start competing until after my disability and I have Riding for the Disabled to thank for that - they got my back on a horse and also encouraged me to start competing.

The best thing about the sport is the partnership that you build up with your horse - it’s a great feeling to work with such brilliant animals every day.

- What is the greatest thing about representing your country?

Just that - representing my country. Being an ambassador for Great Britain is something I’ve always been extremely proud of.

- You have represented your country in Atlanta, Sydney, Athens and Beijing so how do all those experiences compare? Do you have a favourite?

Every Paralympic Games is a brilliant experience but Sydney and Beijing are probably my joint favourites.

However if I do well at London I’m sure that will be an unmatchable experience - winning gold in front of a home crowd would be amazing.

-  A lot of people in this country will not have had many opportunities to watch Paralympic sport so if you could tell them something to get them to buy tickets what would you say?

This is a great opportunity to see athletes performing at the highest level, many of whom have overcome tremendous difficulties just to get to the start line.

I’m always blown away by the swimming in particular but the talent on show in every sport is remarkable.

- For both the Olympic and Paralympic Games the demand for tickets has been huge - as an athlete about to perform there that must give you a major boost?

Yes, it’s marvelous to see the public’s appetite for tickets and a full house at Greenwich would give me a massive lift.

- What do you hope for the 2012 Games will do for Paralympic sport in this country?

I really hope it raises Paralympic sport’s profile and make more of the public aware that we are elite sports-people who are training extremely hard for the chance of representing Great Britain.

Awareness is rising in the run-up to the Games, and that’s great, but we can always do more on that front.

- Finally, what’s next for you?

Like I said, I’ve got a number of national and international competitions coming up, and I’m just working towards getting selected for the squad - I won’t find out until July.

Tickets for the London 2012 Paralympic Games are on sale now on a first-come-first-served basis until February 6th. To apply visit tickets.london2012.com

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw