Nottinghamshire’s Sophie Wells MBE got her world championships off to a golden start today as she took the top honours in the Grade V individual test at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina, USA.

Drawn first to go in the final class of the day, Sophie, with Charlotte Hogg’s C Fatal Attraction, produced a stunning test in the afternoon sun, to be rewarded with a score of 75.429%, which could not be beaten.

“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet to be honest,” a beaming Sophie said after the gold was confirmed, “sitting there and watching [the final riders] was awful, but it’s amazing I’m so chuffed.

“You have different challenges through every part of your career, and every horse means something slightly different, I missed out in Normandy [WEG 2014] and you feel like you wait a long time to get the chance to do it again, I’m just so proud of him, it’s been a long journey like it has been for everyone else, and it just means a lot.

“We’re going to build on from today; we’ve had a really great first week of WEG, and I’m just excited to get back in there for my team test and Freestyle on Saturday.”

The medal today is Sophie’s fourth gold medal at a World Championships after winning Team Gold in Normandy in 2014 and two individual titles in Kentucky in 2010.

Equestrian Team GBR is supported by the UK Sport National Lottery funded World Class Programme; the British teams are very grateful to the support they receive from the British Equestrian Federation Fund and official partners Dodson and Horrell, Equi-Trek, FALPRO England, Musto, NAF and Point Two.