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Zara Phillips: Medal was best gift

Sep 2, 2012, 5:01 GMT

Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips

Zara Phillips' 'best present' on her wedding anniversary was her Olympics triumph.

The sportswoman and her spouse Mike Tindall celebrated one year of marriage on July 30, but their celebrations were muted as she was competing in the cross-country stage of the team eventing, for which she eventually won a silver medal.

Mike said: 'I managed to get a card from the local supermarket in Greenwich the day before, when she was doing the dressage.

'I couldn't find a proper card shop but at least I bought her a nice bunch of flowers from Greenwich Market.

'To be honest, the best present for both of us was her going clear that day in the cross-country in the park.'

Despite Zara's joy at winning an Olympic medal, Mike admitted his wife was a 'little down' that Team GB failed to scoop gold as she blamed her performance in the first round of showjumping - where she accrued seven faults - for her team missing out on first place.

He added: 'Zara was a little down at first and thought she was responsible for Britain failing to win gold. But medals are won and lost over three days and there were all kinds of other reasons - such as William Fox-Pitt's time faults in the cross-country - why we didn't end up with gold.

'After a day, the disappointment of not winning gold turned into delight she had won silver and since that day I've hardly seen her without it.'