Olympic bronze medal for Mary King for Mary King

SIDMOUTH'S Mary King on Tuesday bagged the second Olympic equestrian medal of her glittering career but was left disappointed as hopes for an individual gold in Hong Kong were dashed.

The 47-year-old picked up bronze in the team event but her joy was short lived as she dropped out of contention in the individual event when her ride Call Again Cavalier clipped barriers in the last round.

King had started the day in fifth place and the day's events left her with bittersweet feelings.

She said: "I'm very disappointed, he (Call Again Cavalier) was jumping beautifully but didn't have quite enough power in the final line.

It's uncharacteristic for him - it's been two years since he has had a fence down at a major competition.

"But it is wonderful to bring home a medal, especially when we didn't have the best of starts; I'm just going to have to go on for another four years to get that elusive gold!"

King had scored a brilliant 38.10 in her dressage test on Sunday to keep Great Britain in the hunt for a medal.

However, the team ended up holding on to take the bronze and all jumped well in the final phase to cement their position.

Mary King's team-mate Tina Cook scored a remarkable clear round on Miners Frolic which helped her on her way to an individual bronze.

The Australian and German teams both put in strong jumping performances and battled to the wire, with the German team eventually taking the coveted team gold.

Mary King, at her fifth Olympics, adds her bronze medal to the team silver she picked up in Athens four years ago - an impressive feat considering she suffered a broken neck after a fall in 2001.

Mary King has had a glittering career so far, bringing her the title of British Champion a record four times, and she has represented Team GB at the last three Olympic Games.

In a career spanning almost 20 years, she has become one of British Eventing's icons.