Anne Dunham

This article is about the British equestrian. For the mother of Barack Obama, see Ann Dunham.
Anne Dunham
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Equestrian
Paralympic Games
1996 Atlanta Team open
2000 Sydney Team open
2004 Athens Team open
2008 Beijing Championship test grade Ia
2008 Beijing Team open
2008 Beijing Freestyle test grade Ia
1996 Atlanta Kur trot grade II

Anne Patricia Dunham MBE (born 24 September 1948) is a British Para-equestrian who has competed in the Paralympic Games.[1]

Early life and disability

Whilst at school Dunham worked at a local stable in her spare time and, by the age of 16, she was running a yard of 80 horses at weekends. She has said that she "always wanted to compete" but whilst she was able to ride the horses in the stables their owners competed with them.[2] Dunham was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 27 and has used a wheelchair since the age of 30. At the age of forty, when her husband sold his business, she bought a horse and began to compete.[2]

Paralympic career

Dunham first competed at the Paralympics competing on Doodlebug in dressage events at the 1996 Atlanta Games where she won a bronze medal in the individual mixed Kur trot grade II,[3] and gold in the open team event.[4] In the individual mixed dressage grade II she finished just outside the medals in fourth position.[3]

At the 2000 Summer Paralympics, in Sydney, Dunham was part of the team that successfully defended their title in the open team dressage event.[3] In the individual events at the games she finished fifth both in the mixed dressage - championship grade II and mixed dressage - freestyle grade II.[3]

The 2004 Athens Games were Dunham's third Paralympic appearance. As part of a team with Lee Pearson, Debbie Criddle and Nicola Tustain she won her third consecutive gold medal in the team dressage.[5] Competing in the grade I freestyle and championship individual events she finished fifth and sixth respectively with fellow Briton Pearson winning gold in both.[3]

Dunham went to her fourth Paralympics in 2008. The dressage events were not held in the host city Beijing but instead took place at the Olympic Equestrian Centre in Hong Kong. Dunham at the age of 59, competing on her horse Teddy Edwards, won her first individual Paralympic gold medal in the championship test grade Ia and also won silver in the freestyle test grade Ia.[6][7] In the team open Dunham, with teammates Lee Pearson, Sophie Christiansen and Simon Laurens won the gold medal. This meant that Dunham has won a gold medal in this event at four consecutive Games.[4]

Dunham was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Athlete Biography DUNHAM Anne". The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 18 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  2. 1 2 "Anne Dunham Para-Equestrian Dressage". Official Equestrian Team GBR website. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Results for Anne Dunham from the International Paralympic Committee
  4. 1 2 "Dunham claims record fourth gold". BBC Sport. 2008-09-09. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  5. ↑ "Britain win team dressage". BBC Sport. 2004-09-26. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  6. ↑ Davies, Gareth A (2008-09-10). "Paralympics: Great Britain vie with China". London: The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  7. ↑ "GB collect three equestrian golds". BBC Sport. 2008-09-09. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58929. p. 16. 31 December 2008.
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