Laura Collett: From life-threatening accident to Olympic gold
In the eventing competition at the Olympic Games, the best performance was by Laura Collett from Great Britain. The 35-year-old is a star in her discipline, but in 2013, she fell off a horse and had a severe accident. She fought for her life for several weeks, and to this day, she practically cannot see with one eye.
Laura Collett celebrated her gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but she fought for her life a decade ago.
After a severe fall from a horse in 2013, Collett was renewed five times and underwent a tracheotomy by paramedics after breaking her shoulder, breaking ribs, puncturing a lung, injuring her liver, and damaging her kidneys.
Additionally, a fragment of her shoulder bone detached and, along with blood, moved to her right eye, causing optic nerve damage. She was kept in a medically induced coma for six days. In an interview with Horse Magazine, she admitted that she still has vision problems in one eye.
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. I never really acknowledged what happened because I don't remember. When I woke up, I didn't feel any pain, she said.
Laura cannot see with one eye but did not abandon her dreams of a sports career. - 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, she recounted.
The Briton sees with only one eye. She wins medals
Collett spent a lot of time at Oaksey House in Berkshire to quickly recover.
The Briton returned to health and sports in 2015, winning gold at the World Young Horse Championships. Collett was selected for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Along with fellow Brits Oliver Townend and Tom McEwen, she was part of the team that won team eventing gold.
The current Olympic Games in Paris turned out superbly for her. She won gold in team eventing and bronze in the individual version on the same day.
