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Through her success, Christiansen is a visible role model. However this has not come easily and she feels it is important to talk about the societal barriers of living with a disability. In 2019 she started a petition to improve accessibility on the UK's railway network, due to being left stranded on
553:
Christiansen has often spoken about how the
Paralympics changed her life as a teenager. At school she was highly self-conscious about her disability, especially her speech. But seeing so many disabled people at once, just getting on with their lives and joking about it at the same time, made her want
561:
in France, three golds at the 2013 European
Championships in Denmark, two golds and a silver at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in the US, two golds and a silver at the 2009 European Championships in Norway, a gold and a bronze at the 2007 World Championships in the UK and three golds at the 2005
513:
and Sophie Wells. Christiansen won gold in the freestyle with a personal best score of 84.75% finishing 5.75% ahead of her closest rival." She was
Britain's first triple gold medallist at the London Paralympic Games. In honour of her achievements at the London 2012 Games, the Royal Mail painted a
526:
in Hong Kong. Competing in her second Games, she again contested the freestyle and individual championship dressage events at grade 1 and was part of the
British quartet in the team dressage. Riding Lambrusco III, she won an individual gold medal in the freestyle and silver in the championship
518:
for each of her gold medals in her original hometown of
Sunningdale, on the campus of her University and in her hometown at the time of Maidenhead. Her horse Janeiro 6 also got a postbox painted gold in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, near where she trained at South Bucks RDA.
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introduced the "Sophie
Christiansen Shield" to their Sports Club Awards for a club that has "gone to great lengths to not only make their club as inclusive and as accessible as possible but have also educated their members as to why this is so important."
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in Rio on Athene
Lindebjerg. She contested the freestyle, scoring 79.7%, and individual championship dressage grade I, the classification grade for severely disabled athletes, and was part of the gold medal-winning team competition, along with
597:
Supporting charities is also important for
Christiansen, as a way of giving back to areas which have helped get her where she is today. She champions the following charities either as a Patron, Ambassador or Vice President:
504:
London 2012 also saw her win three gold medals at the home Games, in the grade 1 individual championship, freestyle and team competition on her horse
Janeiro 6. Christiansen contested the team gold medal with teammates
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659:. In 2015 Christiansen won a 'Women of the Future Award'. It was the first year that a sports category was included and the judges picked out Christiansen for her ‘ferocious determination to succeed'.
448:. In 2012 and 2016 she gained three gold medals at the Paralympics. In 2008 she won two gold medals and a silver at the Beijing Paralympics whilst studying for a master's degree in mathematics at
476:, blood poisoning, a heart attack and a collapsed lung. At the age of six she began horse riding as a form of physiotherapy at her local Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) group.
546:. In the freestyle event Christiansen finished fourth. The championship grade I dressage saw Christiansen win her first Paralympic medal. Competing with Hotstuff, owned by her teammate
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Christiansen has won numerous medals at World and
European Championships, including three golds at the 2015 European Championships in France, two golds and a silver at the 2014
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In 2008, Christiansen represented Great Britain at the Summer Paralympics. The equestrian events were not held in the host city Beijing but instead took place at the
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but had to drop out due to her horse, Innuendo III, not being fit. She would have joined the GB team of Paralympic gold medallists Sir
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Christiansen works as a software developer at investment bank Goldman Sachs and has a first class master's degree in Mathematics from
632:
twice a year on her recumbent trike to promote inclusive recreational sport and staying fit and healthy for people with a disability.
456:. She works as a software developer at investment bank, Goldman Sachs and as a disability campaigner. She qualified for the postponed
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In an interview with City AM she talked about the benefits of having "something else to think about". She told
1360:"Sophie Christiansen interview: Five-time Paralympic champion on why City banking job is vital to her success"
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that working two days a week helped to "lessen the intensity" of competing at a high level in sport.
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Prinsloo, Karel; Holt, Kate; Miller, Will; Production, Source: Arete Stories (12 April 2015).
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444:(born 14 November 1987) is an English equestrian who has competed in four successive
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1163:"'Ferocious determination to succeed' earns Sophie Christiansen coverted [
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625:. In 2015, she visited their projects with disabled children in northern Rwanda.
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She first competed at the Paralympics aged 16 and was the youngest athlete for
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810:"Sophie Christiansen out of Paralympics due to 'veterinary issue' with horse"
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a train in her wheelchair numerous times whilst commuting into London.
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929:"Postbox painted gold to celebrate Paralympian Sophie Christiansen"
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She was named BBC London Disabled Athlete of the Year for 2004.
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1084:"Our patrons | Chance for Childhood - Children's charity"
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dressage. In the team open Christiansen, with teammates
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In 2016, Christiansen gained three gold medals at the
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but had to drop out due to her horse not being fit.
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2012 Olympics gold post boxes in the United Kingdom
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886:"ParalympicsGB's London 2012 medal roll of honour"
472:and suffered from other health problems including
468:Christiansen was born two months prematurely with
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581:. Her place was taken by the European medallist
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1596:Alumni of Royal Holloway, University of London
1060:. British Paralympic Committee. Archived from
1591:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
1546:Paralympic bronze medalists for Great Britain
1541:Paralympic silver medalists for Great Britain
766:"Paralympic challengers: Sophie Christiansen"
642:Commander of the Order of the British Empire
544:Great Britain at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
1536:Paralympic gold medalists for Great Britain
1283:"Paralympian says MBE was a 'big surprise'"
1270:(Supplement). 31 December 2008. p. 16.
1226:(Supplement). 29 December 2012. p. 24.
1151:(Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N8.
976:"Paralympics: Great Britain vie with China"
554:to be seen in this positive light as well.
1566:Equestrians at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
1561:Equestrians at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
1556:Equestrians at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
1551:Equestrians at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
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1382:"It takes a unique person to do what I do"
836:"Sophie Christiansen, Paralympic dressage"
804:
802:
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1586:Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
1581:Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
1576:Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
1571:Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
1531:Paralympic equestrians for Great Britain
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621:Christiansen is a patron of the charity
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653:2016 BBC Sports Personality of the Year
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974:Davies, Gareth A (10 September 2008).
973:
796:, Rio2016, Retrieved 17 September 2016
539:won her second Paralympic gold medal.
1308:"Christiansen rides to further glory"
760:
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648:for services to para-equestrianism.
1006:"GB collect three equestrian golds"
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600:Riding for the Disabled Association
562:European Championships in Hungary.
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1601:Paralympic medalists in equestrian
1032:"Dunham claims record fourth gold"
961:International Paralympic Committee
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42:One of three golds at Rio in 2016
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834:Honeyball, Lee (4 August 2002).
689:for services to disabled sport.
585:who made her Paralympics debut.
565:She qualified for the postponed
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628:Christiansen takes part in the
1486:British Paralympic Association
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908:"Triple gold medallist Sophie"
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696:Personal and professional life
664:Royal Holloway Students' Union
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1:
768:. BBC Sport. 2 September 2008
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16:British Paralympic equestrian
438:Sophie Margaret Christiansen
56:Sophie Margaret Christiansen
7:
888:. BBC Sport. September 2012
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683:Order of the British Empire
672:Order of the British Empire
640:Christiansen was appointed
10:
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1526:English female equestrians
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403:Championship test grade Ia
361:Championship test grade Ia
298:Championship test grade Ia
1447:at FEI (alternative link)
1312:Bracknell Forest Standard
1287:Bracknell Forest Standard
1238:"2013 New Year's Honours"
792:23 September 2016 at the
742:"Sophie Christiansen MBE"
670:Appointed Officer of the
524:Olympic Equestrian Centre
424:Championship test grade I
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1362:. City AM. 28 March 2016
1334:"Charters School Alumni"
704:, University of London.
681:Appointed Member of the
1521:British dressage riders
1058:"Sports Classification"
567:2020 Summer Paralympics
458:2020 Summer Paralympics
340:Freestyle test grade Ia
277:Freestyle test grade Ia
235:Freestyle test grade Ia
125:Achievements and titles
559:World Equestrian Games
953:"Sophie Christiansen"
687:2009 New Year Honours
676:2013 New Year Honours
646:2017 New Year Honours
589:Disability campaigner
154:Highest world ranking
1088:Chance for Childhood
986:on 10 September 2008
623:Chance for Childhood
454:University of London
86:, Berkshire, England
48:Personal information
24:Sophie Christiansen
1482:Sophie Christiansen
1462:Sophie Christiansen
1445:Sophie Christiansen
1425:Sophie Christiansen
1064:on 8 September 2012
980:The Daily Telegraph
861:"Natasha Baker MBE"
787:Sophie Christiansen
612:The Movement Centre
550:, she took bronze.
32:
1388:. 27 November 2015
1267:The London Gazette
1223:The London Gazette
1148:The London Gazette
1038:. 9 September 2008
1012:. 9 September 2008
865:paralympics.org.uk
608:The Rainbow Centre
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1197:www.su.rhul.ac.uk
1173:. 28 October 2015
814:Winsford Guardian
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