Royal Watch News
Zara is crowned champion
Aug 29, 2006, 13:58 GMT
Britain's Zara Phillips has been crowned world equestrian champion.
The 25-year-old sportswoman, the daughter of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, picked up a gold medal at the World Three-Day event in Aachen, Germany, riding her beloved horse Toytown.
Zara, who is 11th in line to the British throne, dedicated her win to fellow show-jumper Sherelle Duke, who died nine days ago after being crushed by her horse.She said: 'I went out today to do it for a friend of mine who died a week ago. I wanted to try and get her a gold medal. 'I am so relieved that I was able to give that to her, because I didn't manage to say goodbye.' Duke was a member of the Irish equestrian squad in the 2003 Equestrian Championships. The British and Irish teams wore a ribbon throughout the competition in a tribute to the 28-year-old. Zara recently revealed she was tired of only being known as Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter and was determined to gain recognition for her own achievements. She said: 'What I really want from doing well at competitions is to be recognised for riding, not for who your grandmother is or for what's going on in your personal life.' Zara, who was forced to pull out of the 2004 Athens Olympics when Toytown suffered a leg injury, now hopes to compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Copyright 2006 BANG Media International
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