Double gold for Britain's eventers in European Championships

September 27 - Britain, led by Tina Cook (pictured) won the team and individual titles at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in Fontainebleau today.

The team of Cook, William Fox-Pitt, Nicola Wilson and Oliver Townend secured an eighth successive gold medal, giving them an unbroken 14-year run of European success.

Cook, the double Olympic bronze medallist in Hong Kong last year, clinched her first individual European crown after retaining her overnight lead on Miners Floric.

Piggy French, a late call up to contest individual honours in France when Mary King's horse Imperial Cavalier withdrew injured, produced a stunning silver medal-winning display, but Fox-Pitt finished outside the medals in fourth.

French was even in sight of an incredible overall triumph after she delivered one of only two clear rounds of the final day's show jumping at Le Grand Parquet.

The 39-year-old Cook from Rushington was the last to go, and her score of eight faults was just enough to edge out French on Some Day Soon by 0.6 points.

Britain won the team event by a landslide margin of more than 90 points from Italy, with Belgium taking the bronze medal.

Britain were undoubtedly helped by the event favourites Germany and the host nation France effectively falling by the wayside during yesterday's punishing cross-country discipline, but there was still no disguising British dominance.

Sussex-based Cook, 39, knew she could afford to have two fences down in the show jumping and still win, but a couple of time faults ultimately meant it was a close-run thing.

But Cook coped admirably with the pressure in searing heat south of Paris as Britain prevailed.

Germany's Michael Jung, the World Cup winner in Poland last month, took bronze 0.1 points ahead of Fox-Pitt, although Fox-Pitt still had the satisfaction of team gold, his eighth medal at European level.

Cook said: "The Olympics last year were incredibly special, but to be champion of Europe is brilliant.

"I didn't really expect it here, to be honest, but when you have a talented horse like him it makes it just so much easier.

"I am kicking myself I got so many time faults, and I didn't realise it was that close, but to be European champion is massive."

French (pictured), a 29-year-old from Leicestershire, struggled to contain her emotions as the significant prize of a European silver medal began sinking in.