Zara Tindall embarks on a new Olympic dream: she is training for Paris 2024

The British rider, granddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II and medalist in London 2012, began a new Olympic cycle and is looking to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games.

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Princess Ana
Princess Ana

Zara´s passion for horses is in her blood and equestrian competition is undoubtedly a family legacy. The daughter of Princess Anne, Olympian in Montreal 1976 and Mark Phillips, Olympic champion in Munich 1972 and silver medalist in Seoul 1988, confirmed that she is giving herself a new opportunity and will seek to qualify for Paris 2024.

Although the only Olympic Game in which she participated was in London 2012, where she won the silver medal in the team category, her path in Olympism has several chapters.

After announcing the sponsorship of Cantor Index, in 2003, to cover the costs of her equestrian career, Zara qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. However, she was unable to compete due to the injury of Toytown, her horse.

Zara Tindall competes in the team category in horseback riding at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Zara Tindall competes in the team category in horseback riding at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

For the 2008 Games, the frustration was even greater. Tindall had just become world champion in 2006, named a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her equestrian career and voted athlete of the year, a new injury to her horse left her out.

Her Olympic debut would arrive in London 2012. Before the watchful eye of the local public, including her family, with her cousins William and Harry in the stands, Zara won the silver medal in the team category.

The one in charge of presenting her with that medal? Her mother, Princess Anne, Olympian in Montreal 1976 and an organizing member of the London Games.

At the award ceremony, Zara Tindall receives the silver medal from her mother, Princess Ana.
At the award ceremony, Zara Tindall receives the silver medal from her mother, Princess Ana.

After the feat and recently married to Mike Tindall, a former rugby player, she welcomed her first daughter in January 2014. Since then, she has dedicated her time to exploring motherhood and taking a slightly more active role in her family’s royal commitments.

Although she continued to compete, she achieved the qualifying mark for Rio 2016, she was not selected to be part of the Olympic team and the birth of her third child, in March 2021, did not allow her to participate in Tokyo 2020.

Today, at 41 years old, she wants to try again and is after Paris.

As confirmed in an interview with Vogue Australia, she returned to training intensively and hopes to participate in different events throughout this year and the next to achieve the classification. Beyond her desire and the possibility of having fields and horses in her house, she also assured that she is faced with the challenge of obtaining a horse suitable to compete and the organization of her routine between commitments as a member of royalty, being a mother, wife and athlete.

The British team, recent Olympic champion in Tokyo, is committed to repeating the achievement in Paris and Zara keeps the dream of being part of the team once again intact.