Book description
Pippa Funnell is the golden girl of the British equestrian scene - but
it hasn't always been so. She seemed doomed to be a 'misser' in the
really big competitions, lacking that special ingredient that makes a
true champion. Everything began to change for her in 1999 when her
results, including her first European title, were excellent, but it was
at the Sydney Olympics that she really came of age, winning a silver
medal.
Since Sydney, Pippa went from strength to strength. She completed the
double of European Championships in 2001, she won Badminton in 2002, and
in 2003 won the Rolex Grand Slam and was awarded Sportswoman of the Year
by the Sunday Times.
In 2004 Pippa was a double Olympic medallist in Athens, and this
autobiography includes her Olympic diary, as she records the ups and
downs of the competition, the triumph of the dressage, her cross-country
round and the showjump down that cost her a gold medal. As if all this
were not enough, there was the controversy of the medals being
reallocated on appeal, meaning Pippa won both a silver and a bronze.
Pippa Funnell is the first woman to become eventing's world number one.
She was born Pippa Nolan in 1968 and, with her first horse, Sir Barnaby,
went from pony-club level to Badminton, en route winning the European
Young Rider title in 1987. Her numerous victories include back-to-back
European Championships in 1991 and 2001, and back-to-back Olympic silver
medals in 2000 and 2004. She is the first winner of the Rolex Grand
Slam, in 2003, and has won Badminton three times, in 2002, 2003 and
2005. In 2003 she was awarded the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year.
In 2005 she was awarded an MBE in the Birthday Honours List. Pippa is
married to the international show jumper William Funnell and lives in
Surrey.
