Lisa Fourth in First Rio Ride

LISA Martin competed in the first of three paralympic equestrian events in Rio yesterday and placed fourth as part of the Australian team.

“We were nearly all on the same mark, it was so close, except for the girl who came first she was 75 and there were three of us that extremely close and separated by just points of a percentage,” said Ms Martin.

“That score and the next score go together, because that was for the team, so you don’t get a medal for that part, it’s basically just to get the team rankings up and then the second test I do is what is really important for me as an individual because that will be when I try to get the medal,” she said.

Lisa Martin with her groom Maddison McAndrew in Rio.

Today Lisa is having a day off and tomorrow she will compete in her individual event before finishing the Games with a freestyle event.

As Lisa spoke to scone.com.au it was 6am in Rio and she was walking through the Olympic village, saying hi to other athletes and describing the feel of competing at the paralympics.

“I am walking out to the bus through the village, I’ve got my scooter in my hand it’s very early early in the morning and it is already 30 degrees,” she said.

“The village is an amazing place, I’m looking up and there are tall buildings all around and each one has a different flag flying, when we line up in a massive stadium to eat with 3,000 other athletes it is actually fun, we all swap badges and an Aussie is just running past me now, “hi!” and there are lots of very fit people swimming in the pool,” she laughed.

“It’s also very serious too, out building is like they have picked up the Institute of Sport and taken it to Rio there is everything state of the art you could want, doctors and physios and military men everywhere keeping us safe,” she said.

“There was some unrest outside the equestrian stadium the other day, but we were completely safe,” she said.

The equestrian team refer to the arena as ‘the sandpit’ and Lisa said stepping into the sandpit to compete was awe inspiring.

“Oh my god! It was so emotional, literally the whole world is watching you and the other day there was something like 11,000 tickets sold for dressage, even more than for the eventing,” she said.

Lisa’s mascot in Rio.

“First Famous is terrific she is trim, toned and terrific, we’ve gone down two girths because she is in amazing shape and going really, really well,” she said.

“My family flew in the day before I competed and it is wonderful to have them here, I am missing everyone back home and let everyone know to keep their fingers and toes crossed for me tomorrow, there is the most minutest of scores separating me from my competitors and tomorrow is my chance to compete for a medal,” Lisa Martin said.

Lisa Martin will compete in her individual event at midnight Australian time tomorrow.

Related Stories:

• Last Hurrah Before Rio – July 10, 2016;
• Video: Watch Rio Routine – July 7, 2016;
• Lisa Martin Makes the Team – June 28, 2016;
• Opinion: From Little Things – April 29, 2016, and
• Second in Line for Rio – April 18, 2016.