When silver reigns

Simon, on his horse Ocean Diamond, was not one of the first three British riders whose scores counted for gold, but all four of the team qualified for gold.

In any sport you want to contribute to your team’s success. And Simon was realistic enough to explain that, after Ocean Diamond was ‘spooked’ by something that happened in the crowd, he was never going to finish in the top five competitors in the competition.

It’s the same in any sport; no matter what colour medal you win, if you don’t add points to your team, you feel, somehow, that you’ve cheated when they present you with a medal. Ask any footballer, who’s stayed on the bench of an FA Cup final – they wanted to contribute not just get a medal.

I can’t imagine a worse scenario, as a parent, saying to my son or grandson: ‘I won this medal, not by playing, but because I was needed on the bench . . .’

Thankfully, that is not the case with Simon Laurens, who is a terrific rider. Had one of the top three GB finishers been forced to withdraw, then Simon’s points gained would still have put the team on the podium.

But I would be surprised if his individual silver, won yesterday in the freestyle to music event, is not the more cherished memory.

The reigning world para champion in the freestyle to music, he’s the first Islander to win medals from any previous Olympic or paralympic event and I am genuinely delighted by all that he’s achieved and – mark this Simon, as it will cost me more than a few hundred pounds to make it happen! – I want to see him, and through him, Jersey, do just as well – or even better – at the London Olympics in 2012.

Let us hope he gets the backing he needs to make his hopes a reality.