Who is Charlotte Dujardin? How many Olympic medals has Team GB dressage rider won after Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Charlotte Dujardin became Britain’s most decorated female Olympian at Tokyo 2020.

She won bronze in the individual and team dressage events at the 2021 Olympics to take her tally to six Olympic medals overall.

On becoming the first British woman to win six Olympic medals, she said: “I can't believe it.

"To be level with Katherine Grainger was pretty impressive but now I've actually beaten it, oh my God.

"I can't quite believe it, I'm incredibly proud and a bit speechless. I just don't know what to feel."

Dujardin now has three golds, one silver and two bronze medals from her glittering Olympics career – but who is the equestrian star?

Here’s what you need to know.

Who is Charlotte Dujardin?

Charlotte Dujardin was born in Enfield and brought up in Hertfordshire. She started horse riding at the age of two.

By 16, she had won the Horse of the Year Show competition four times and was a winner at Hickstead on three occasions.

After further encouragement from her trainer, Debbie Thomas, Charlotte then took up dressage.

In February 2007 she had some lessons with Carl Hester, who spotted her talent and offered her a job as a groom at his yard in Newent, Gloucestershire.

The equestrian star then continued to perform and went on to win gold at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

On 7 August 2012, Dujardin and her horse, Valegro, were members of the team which won the gold medal in the team dressage event at the London Olympics.

Two days later, Dujardian and Valegro performed a routine which included Land of Hope and Glory, The Great Escape and the chimes of Big Ben, and won them the gold medal in the individual dressage event with a score of 90.089 per cent.

Valegro retired after the 2016 Rio Olympics, where Charlotte won gold and the British team silver.

Dujardin is also European Champion, World Champion and holds all three World Records in Dressage. In 2014, she was announced as The Sunday Times and Sky Sports Sportswoman of the Year and BT Action Woman of the Year 2014.

Which horse is she performing with at Tokyo 2020?

Although most expected Dujardin to compete in Tokyo 2020 on her world bronze medallist horse Mount St John Freestyle, she chose to bring Gio, a 10-year-old Apache x Tango gelding known as Pumpkin.

On Gio, Dujardin said: "The minute I clocked eyes on Gio, I instantly fell in love with him. I spoke to the girl who owned him and asked her for a go. I knew if I rode him, everyone would want to buy him so I needed to make some sort of deal.

"I asked if she'd be interested in selling him and she said 'If I'm going to sell him to anyone, I'm going to sell him to you'. You just know, I looked at him and loved him and got on him and was like 'wow'.”

Dujardin, Carl Hester and Charlotte Fry won bronze in the team dressage final on Tuesday 27 July.

After securing a bronze medal for her and Gio, Dujardin said: "It’s always a huge honour just to come to an Olympic Games and represent your country.

“To come away with another medal is just absolutely unbelievable. I feel so proud to be here, we have such a fantastic team – it’s unbelievable.

“To come away with another medal and be alongside incredible inspiring women and sportspeople, I can’t say much more.”

On Wednesday morning (28 July), the defending champion will then perform with Pumpkin in the individual dressage event.