How Team GB’s Laura Collett fought back from being permanently blinded in one eye after horror fall to win Olympic gold
LAURA COLLETT’s second Olympic gold medal comes 11 years after she nearly died in a horror accident.
The equestrian star helped Team GB to their first gold medal at the Paris Olympics in the eventing.
But in July 2013, she almost saw her competing career come to an end after a cross-country fall at Tweseldown.
She was in hospital for two weeks which included six days in a medically induced coma.
Her injuries included a punctured lung, a lacerated liver, a fractured shoulder and two broken ribs.
Collett’s vision was permanently affected as she is now blind in one eye.
The Team GB star admitted that she could not remember the accident and did not feel any pain after waking up.
She told Horse Magazine: “I have blurred vision in a quarter of the eye, and the rest is blacked out.
“I have no recollection of my accident at all.
“Everyone else was more worried about me getting on a horse for the first time than I was, but it was part of me getting better as it gave me something to look forward to.
“I never really acknowledged what happened because I don’t remember. When I woke up, I didn’t feel any pain.
“The main thing that bothered me was during the last week in the hospital when I was conscious.
“I was so bored that having a shower was the highlight of my day.
“Luckily, I had plenty of visitors coming in to see me.”
As a result of her blind eye, she now has to wear goggles to stop the wind from interfering with her healthy eye.
Collett spent time at Oaksey House in Berkshire to help her recovery.
The flagship rehabilitation centre for the Injured Jockey Fund, which helped her return to competing just seven weeks later.
She continued her impressive return to competition in 2015 as she won gold at the World Young Horse Championships.
As Collett continued to battle on she earned the call for the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
She was a part of the team that won gold in the team eventing alongside fellow Brits Oliver Townend and Tom McEwen.
Collett continued her Olympic success this year as she went back-to-back and picked up another gold in the team eventing.
She also ended the same day with a bronze in the individual version.