Like father, like son. Twelve years after watching his father Peter win Olympic gold in the team show jumping at London 2012, Harry Charles has followed suit in astonishing fashion by achieving glory at Paris 2024.
It was the first time a British father and son had been Olympic champions since rower Dickie Burnell succeeded his father Charles in 1948. And to make the story even sweeter, Charles stood on the top step of the podium at the Palace of Versailles yesterday alongside Ben Maher and Scott Brash, two of his father’s team-mates from 12 years ago.
“My younger self is a little scared!” Charles said with a smile. “It will take me a few weeks to get used to it.”
Charles was just a wide-eyed 13-year-old when his father, Maher, Brash and Nick Skelton claimed gold at Greenwich Park, the first British team show jumping victory in 60 years. That, he admitted yesterday, was what made him want to go on and become a jockey. Talk about inspiring a generation!
“Being in the stands at Greenwich Park was definitely the most pivotal moment when I was younger,” said the 25-year-old, whose tearful father was in the stands yesterday in a role reversal from 2012.
Team Great Britain moved up to third in the medals table after (l-r) Scott Brash, Harry Charles and Ben Maher won gold on Friday.
Scott Brash and his horse Jefferson won a surprising gold medal in the team show jumping event
‘My father wanted me to be a golfer. I played a lot of golf and rode a few ponies at the same time. But that was the moment I realised I was much better at riding horses than I was at swinging golf clubs.
“Ben and Scott are my heroes, guys I’ve looked up to since I started riding. So to be on the podium with them now is great. My dad said to me, ‘Enjoy every minute of that ceremony, it’s probably going to be the best moment of your life,’ and it is.”
For Maher, 41, and Brash, 38, joining forces to win gold with the teenager who cheered them on in Greenwich Park was also surreal.
“He looked exactly the same back then as he does now,” Maher laughed. “We call him ‘Bieber’ on the team!”
Well, Bieber was certainly in top form on his horse Romeo 88 yesterday, three years after hitting a poor note on his Olympic debut in Tokyo, knocking over three fences as Great Britain finished seventh in the team final.
In fact, the Team GB trio were in sync at the Château de Versailles, the former palace of King Louis XIV, 12 miles west of Paris.
Maher was first to board the Dallas Vegas Batilly, receiving only a time penalty to take world bronze medallist Great Britain to the top of the rankings.
Then Charles, who broke his arm just a month ago and was a doubt for the Games, produced a flawless round with Romeo 88, which he later described as the round of his life.
The British trio received just two penalty points in the final, fewer than any other team in the competition.
That meant the gold would be Britain’s if Brash, the last rider in the competition, could follow Jefferson’s example and keep his cool.
Despite hitting a couple of obstacles, the Scot managed to complete the event in 79.54 seconds, earning him a single penalty. He punched the air and patted his horse, knowing that the British team had beaten the United States and host country France to secure their third Olympic gold in the event, after London 2012 and Helsinki 1952.
“It was one of the most intense moments of my career,” Brash said. “You just have to try to block everything out.”
“The lads put me in an incredible situation and then Jefferson was incredible. He handled the environment incredibly and stayed relaxed and calm.”
For Maher, this was his third Olympic gold medal, having also won the individual show jumping title at Tokyo 2020. It puts him level with Richard Meade and Charlotte Dujardin as Britain’s most successful Olympic equestrian riders.
“I didn’t know that statistic, but it’s incredible,” he said. “We’re all as important as each other. None of us could have done a better job today.”
The win was also Team GB’s second equestrian gold at these Games, and came just days after the Dujardin horse whipping scandal dragged the sport’s reputation through the mud at home.
“These horses are better looked after than most people,” Brash added. “The message to the fans at home is that we have achieved a gold medal and made our country proud.”
“We want equestrian sports to continue to be present at the Olympic Games and I think that today we have demonstrated a high-level sport.” High-level sport and a fairy-tale family story.