Sark sportsman Carl Hester to represent Team GB in dressage at seventh Olympic Games

Carl Hester is a decorated dressage rider. Credit: PA

Carl Hester will represent Team GB at the 2024 Paris Olympics, his seventh appearance at the Games - making him one of the longest-serving British Olympians in history.

The 56-year-old will represent Team GB in dressage and hails from Sark in the Channel Islands, which only has a population of around 500.

Hester is one of four British riders taking part in dressage competitions at the Games this summer.

He will be alongside Charlotte Fry, Charlotte Dujardin and Becky Moody.

Hester will be riding 14-year-old stallion Fame, the horse who partnered Hester to a score of 85.46% at the European Dressage Championships, the highest mark of his entire career.

Speaking to ITV News after his selection, Carl says: "Fame is a pretty special horse, he's a stallion so he is a different type of horse to deal with but he has a very good work ethic.

"He loves dressage and I just have this great relationship with him.

"Last year I only had him for a short period and we won gold at the European Championships, now we are a year on and so I know him even better."

Alongside Hester, if Dujardin wins a medal at this Games, she will become Britain's most decorated female Olympian.

Reigning world champion Fry is also looking to hold onto her title and Moody will be making her Olympics debut.

The dressage will take place between Tuesday 30 July and Sunday 4 August at the Palace of Versailles.

Carl adds: "This year I have pushed the boat out and made my own programme, anyone who knows me knows music is not my strong point but I have a great person helping me compose the music.

"The degree of difficulty also has to be pretty high and mine is a 9.94, so almost at that 10 mark."

Team GB Chef de Mission, Mark England, says: "There is an incredible wealth of experience across all three disciplines, with some athletes set to compete at their fourth, fifth and seventh Olympic Games this summer, which will undoubtedly stand them in good stead in Paris."

Carl Hester, Charlotte Fry and Charlotte Dujardin won Bronze at the Toyko 2020 Olympic Games. Credit: PA

  • Who is Carl Hester?

Hester grew up in Sark and became Team GB's youngest rider to compete at the Games after his Olympic debut in Barcelona in 1992.

Carl won his first Olympic medal in London in 2012 - claiming team dressage gold.

He followed that up with a silver medal in Rio at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Almost 30 years since his first Olympic appearance, Hester was the oldest member of the class of Tokyo 2020, heading to Japan aged 54 for his sixth Games.

Hester again ended on the podium, winning bronze in the team dressage final alongside Fry and Dujardin.

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