Charlotte Dujardin was one of Britain's top medal hopes for the 2024 Olympic Games and was on course to make history for Team GB.
However, on the eve of the Olympics in Paris, she announced she had withdrawn from the event.
Dujardin is under investigation from the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) and the British Equestrian Federation and British Dressage. The case is related to a video, dated four years ago but that surfaced in the days leading up to the Paris Games.
The equestrian star admitted the footage showed her "making an error of judgement" and that she would "withdraw from all competition" while the investigation runs its course.
MORE: All the latest Olympic news and updates from Paris 2024
What did Charlotte Dujardin do?
Dujardin withdrew from the 2024 Paris Olympics after an investigation was launched into a video that circulated online in the build-up to the Games.
The 39-year-old issued a statement via Instagram to confirm the footage was from a coaching session four years ago. She said the video "shows me making an error of judgement".
Dujardin continued: "What happened was completely out of character and does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils, however there is no excuse. I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in that moment.
"I will cooperate fully with the FEI, British Equestrian Federation and British Dressage during their investigations, and will not be commenting further until the process is complete."
The nature of the video itself was not widely publicised at first, and media outlets refrained from speculating on the details. However, on July 24, Good Morning Britain broadcast footage that showed a figure, said to be Dujardin, striking a horse on the legs with a whip repeatedly during what appeared to be a training session in an indoor enclosure. The animal, which is bearing an unidentified rider, is seen kicking out its back legs in apparent distress as it is struck.
ITV, the UK TV channel on which Good Morning Britain is shown, said the footage indicated the horse was hit 24 times in under a minute.
Team GB confirmed on July 24 that Becky Moody had replaced Dujardin in its dressage team.
Who is Charlotte Dujardin?
Dujardin is a professional horse rider from Enfield in London, England.
She is a multiple world and Olympic champion, predominantly in the dressage event. Along with cyclist Laura Kenny, she is the most decorated female Olympian in British history, with six medals (three of which are gold). She was due to compete in the individual and team dressage events in Paris.
Dujardin was awarded an OBE and CBE, honours handed out by the British monarch, in 2013 and 2017 respectively for services to equestrianism.
What is dressage? Olympic horse-riding event explained
Dressage is a form of competitive horse riding. It is described by the International Equestrian Federation as an event "where horse and rider are expected to perform from memory a series of predetermined movements", which are often set to music.
The name is derived from the French word meaning "training" or "schooling".
Dressage can be either an individual or team competition, although only one horse and rider takes to the arena space at any one time.
Competitors undergo a series of "tests" in which they must demonstrate mastery of a prescribed series of movements within the designated arena area. They are then scored by judges based on the standard of their performance.
Most Popular
Comments / 0