| Honorific prefix | Sir |
|---|---|
| Full name | David Lee Pearson |
| Discipline | Para-dressage |
| Birth date | 4 February 1974 (age 52) |
| Birth place | Cheddleton, England |
| Horse |
|
| Show-medals | yes |
Sir David Lee Pearson (born 4 February 1974) is a 14-times Paralympic Games gold medallist, having represented British para-equestrianism in Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London, Rio, and Tokyo.[1] Over the course of his career he has won 30 gold medals at European, World and Paralympic level.
He is called the "Godfather" of para-dressage.[1][2]
Biography
Lee Pearson was born in Cheddleton, England, with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita[3] and first came to public attention in 1980, when British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher carried him up stairs in 10 Downing Street having awarded him a "Children of Courage" medal.[2]
Pearson turned professional after he was inspired by the Atlanta Olympics. He won three gold medals in the championship dressage, freestyle dressage, and team dressage events at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Paralympics.[2] With his horse Gentleman, he won gold in the team dressage event at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, silver in the championship dressage and bronze in the freestyle.[4]
He noted after his failure to win gold in the freestyle competition in London that he had been voted down by the British judge, but said that he would compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, on a different horse named Zion.[5]
He and his home-bred horse Breezer[2][3] won three gold medals at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.[1]
Competition record
| Competition | Venue | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 World Championships | Denmark | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2000 Paralympic Games | Sydney | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2002 European Championships | Portugal | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2003 World Championships | Belgium | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2004 Paralympic Games | Athens | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2005 European Championships | Hungary | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 2007 World Championships | Hartpury | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2008 Paralympic Games | Beijing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games | Lexington | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2012 Paralympic Games | London | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games | Caen | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2015 European Championships | Deauville | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 2016 Paralympic Games | Rio de Janeiro | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games | Tryon | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 Paralympic Games | Tokyo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2022 FEI World Championships | Herning | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Paralympics total | 17 | ||||
| World Championship total | 17 | ||||
| European Championships total | 9 | ||||
| Overall total | 43 | ||||
Honours
Pearson was awarded an honorary Doctorate from Staffordshire University in July 2005.[6]
He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2001 New Year Honours for services to disabled sports,[7][8] Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2005 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism and to disabled sport,[9] and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism and to disabled sport.[10][11] He was knighted in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism.[12]
Personal life
Lee Pearson runs his own dressage yard in Staffordshire and teaches many around the country.[13][14] Pearson was the first openly gay member of the British team and is an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.[2][3][15][16] In 2020, he became a single foster parent to a 15-year-old foster son.[17]
Selected works
Lee Pearson and Andrew Richardson, I am who I am, Worcester, 2021. ISBN 978-1910469347
See also
References
- ^ "Lee Pearson". International Paralympic Committee. Archived 1 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Bennett, Charlie (25 August 2021). "Lee Pearson: Godfather of para dressage has eyes on Paralympic gold once again". The Independent. Archived 30 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ MacInnes, Paul (26 August 2021). "'Love has to prevail': Pearson sends LGBTQ+ message of support after gold". The Guardian. Archived 26 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Paralympics 2012: Lee Pearson takes dressage bronze". BBC Sport. 3 September 2012.
- ^ "Pearson foiled in 11th gold bid". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ "lee pearson results dressage horse disabled mbe obe". Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
- ^ No. 56070. 30 December 2000. p. 21.
- ^ "Olympians and Paralympians who have received UK honours | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ^ No. 57509. 31 December 2004. p. 12.
- ^ No. 58929. 31 December 2008. p. 8.
- ^ "Commander of the Order of the British Empire". News.bbc.co.uk. p. 13. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ No. 61803. 31 December 2016. p. N2.
- ^ "Permission granted for Sir Lee Pearson's riding lesson plan". BBC News. 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ^ Price, Richard (2023-04-15). "Paralympian horseman Lee's planning bid leaves neighbours long-faced". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ^ "Lee Pearson proves once again he's a true British icon with more Paralympic glory". The Independent. 2021-08-26. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ^ Smirnova, Lena (1 June 2022). "Pride Month: Sir Lee Pearson on speaking out to create a better world". International Paralympic Committee. Archived 1 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "TOKYO 2020 PARALYMPICS - BRITAIN'S LEE PEARSON WINS 12TH PARALYMPIC DRESSAGE GOLD, GEORGIA WILSON TAKES BRONZE". Eurosport.com. Retrieved 2021-08-30.