Sophie Wells

Sophie Wells
OBE
Image of Sophie Wells signing autographs
Sophie Wells
Personal information
DisciplinePara-dressage
Born (1990-05-05) 5 May 1990
Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England
Horse(s)
  • Touchdown M
  • Pinocchio
  • Valerius
  • C Fatal Attraction
  • Don Cara M
  • LJT Egebjerggards Samoa
Website
sophiewells.com
Medal record
Para-equestrian
Representing  Great Britain
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Paralympic Games 4 4 2
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Team
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio Individual championship test grade IV
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio Team
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Team open
Silver medal – second place 2012 London Individual championship test grade IV
Silver medal – second place 2012 London Individual freestyle test grade IV
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio Individual freestyle test grade IV
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Individual championship test grade V
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Individual championship test grade V
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Individual freestyle test grade V

Sophie Wells (born 5 May 1990) is an English para-equestrian. She won four gold, four silver and two bronze medals at the Paralympic Games.[1]

Early life

Sophie Wells was born on 5 May 1990 in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.[2] She was born with a birth defect called amniotic band syndrome. Because of that, she was born with less than ten fingers and she cannot move or feel her feet.[3]

Wells started to ride horses at 8, and she started dressage at 12.[2]

Career

In 2008, Wells became the first disabled rider to win an international dressage competition for non-disabled riders.[2][3] She was going to go to the Beijing Paralympic Games, but her horse, Touchdown M, got a tumour in his foot.[3] The horse survived (became healthy again).

In 2012, Wells and the horse Pinocchio went to the London Paralympic Games, where they won a gold and two silver medals.[1][2] In 2016, she won a two gold and a silver medal at the Rio Paralympic Games with the horse Valerius.[1][2] In 2021, at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, Wells and the horse Don Cara M won a gold and a silver medal.[1][2] In 2024, she and the horse LJT Egebjerggards Samoa ("Diana") won two bronze medals at the Paris Paralympic Games.[4]

Personal life

Even though she won ten Paralympic medals in equestrian, Sophie Wells is allergic to horses.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Sophie Wells". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Sophie Wells MBE". British Paralympic Association. Archived from the original on 13 April 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Garrett, Tony (1 September 2012). "13 Questions: Paralympian Sophie Wells, dressage". Ouch!. BBC. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  4. ↑ Williams, Oscar (7 September 2024). "'I'm really proud': Sophie Wells' brilliant Paris 2024 bronze brings her remarkable medal collection to 40". Horse & Hound. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.

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