Into the Crystal Ball

Mark Todd, voted Rider of the Century 20th by the International Equestrian Centre, is hoping to compete next at the World Championships in Kentucky in 2010 and is not ruling out the London 2012 Olympics. Though his mare, Gandalf did not quite prove to be the equine goldmine New Zealand had hoped for at the Beijing Games, Todd has no regrets about seizing his chance for a dream comeback. “The opportunity presented itself and I didn’t want to say to myself in 10 years’ time I wish I had done that. It all just fell into place for me,” Todd said. The fire is back in his belly, back from retirement after eight years and buzzing once more with the adrenaline of competition. After the cross-country stage he said: “I didn’t feel old, I didn’t feel stiff. I felt just as I did in the past. It was really good.” As for London, “It is certainly a possibility,” he said. “I shall have to sit down and discuss it with my wife.”