Former Manchester university student Nicola Wilson helps eventing team snatch silver at London 2012 Olympics

WILSON WINS: Silver for Eventing team

By Chris Wosu

A former Manchester university student helped Team GB’s eventing team strike silver at London 2012 Olympics yesterday.

Nicola Wilson, a former Sport and Business Management student at University of Manchester, was part of a five-strong team also consisting of Foxx-Pitt, King, Cook, and Zara Phillips.  

They earned the silver medal after two clean jumps from Foxx-Pitt and King – the team’s third consecutive medal at the Games.

The medal was won in Cook’s round although a time penalty was obtained which led to her falling one place in the individual standings.

Cook said: “To be honest I was trying to focus on a clear round [...] the team, have done so well and it was so close – we could have got silver or nothing, and that would have been awful. Gold would have been brilliant, but silver is fantastic.”

Wilson had one penalty in her round after she also knocked fence number two over on Opposition Buzz, but still came in under the time allowed as she left the arena to rapturous applause.

Enjoying a very successful career so far, Wilson also claimed Young Rider of the European Championships in 1997 and won Team Gold at the 2009 European Championships and the 2010 World Equestrian Games respectively.

After claiming the Team Bronze in the 2011 European Championships, Wilson and Team GB have advanced further by claiming a silver medal at London 2012.

King, in third and Cook in fourth, as well as Phillips, will all now go for an individual medal, but Fox-Pitt will miss out meaning his long-standing ambition of an individual gold has gone for another Games.

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