Rising young showjumping star Olli Fletcher has a few good HOYS showjumping rounds under his belt already this week – days after he ran the London Marathon.
Olli completed the challenge in 3hr43min on Sunday (3 October), in aid of World Horse Welfare, and despite the fact he had a couple of very painful days afterwards, he has been on top form at the NEC, finishing in the money in the Grandstand Welcome Stakes, on Garande, and in the Stoneleigh Stakes, on Hello William (pictured).
“I’ve always run to try to keep fit,” Olli told H&H. “I’m quite tall so I can’t be putting too much weight on for the horses. I did a virtual half-marathon in lockdown for World Horse Welfare, and then they asked me if I wanted to do London.
“I wanted to support a horse charity as horses do so much for us, and it’s nice to do something in return.”
Olli admitted he “didn’t do too much training” in preparation for Sunday’s rum.
“That came back to bite me in the arse on the course!” he added. “Mile two it started to hurt. Miles 19 and 20 I found tough but I got over that and the atmosphere kept me going. It hurt but you heard the crowd cheering you, and the pain went away.”
The pain came back though – walking was a struggle for a couple of days.
“I was particularly stiff,” Olli said. “I was sliding down the stairs on my bum! But riding is fine, and that’s the main thing.”
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