Zara Tindall appeared to take a subtle swipe at her family as she recalled one of the most important moments of her sporting career. The royal opened up about competing at the London 2012 Olympics on the Talk Horse podcast, speaking to Pippa Funnell and Tristan Phipps about her career, her horses and growing up surrounded by some of the biggest names in equestrian sport.
When the conversation turned to the moment she won an Olympic silver medal, Zara made an interesting comment about the family members who had come to watch.
‘That's very special’
Tristan pointed out that having Princess Anne present her with her medal must have made the achievement particularly meaningful.
“I can only imagine. Yeah. And then obviously, you know, to get a fantastic result, to get silver and then have your mother present. That's very special,” he said.
Zara then responded with a remark which appeared to hint that her relatives were not regular visitors to her competitions.
“Actually, some of my family came to watch for once, which is nice,” she said.
Olympic atmosphere
The comment came as Zara remembered the extraordinary atmosphere of the Games and the opportunity to compete alongside athletes from around the world.
She said one of the highlights was simply going into the Olympic dining hall and seeing competitors from different countries and religions all together while preparing to compete at the highest level. Zara went on to describe London as “amazing”, recalling how she and the other athletes were able to get around the city and watch other sports once their own events had finished.
Historic silver for Great Britain
Her own Olympic achievement made history. Riding High Kingdom, Zara was part of the Great Britain eventing team which won silver behind Germany, making her the first British royal to win an Olympic medal.
Zara knocked down a pole and collected three time penalties in the team showjumping. But clear rounds from Mary King and Tina Cook secured silver for a Great Britain team that also included Fox-Pitt and Nicola Wilson. A wave of euphoria swept through Greenwich Park when Tina, Britain's final rider, cleared her last fence.
Zara's royal supporters, consisting of Prince William, Princess Kate and Prince Harry, led the celebrations, with William in particular raising his hands. Her mother was the person who presented the medals to the team, creating an especially memorable family moment.
“Of course it was amazing to receive the medal from my mum,” Zara said afterwards. She also joked about the attention surrounding the moment, saying: “Whatever you do, don't ask me what it was like to have my mother present me with the medal. Obviously it was amazing.”
The achievement came after Zara had missed the 2004 and 2008 Olympics because of injuries affecting her horse Toytown. On the podcast, she also reflected on her long equestrian career, including her partnership with Toytown, the challenges of riding Class Affair and eventually winning the British Open with him. Zara and Pippa also reminisced about competing against each other at Burghley in 2003 before later becoming teammates.
