Murphy’s pride at Individual Paralympics Grade I ninth-place finish

Michael Murphy was delighted to finish ninth place in the Para Dressage Individual Grade I competition after scoring 70.417% at Versailles this afternoon. Multiple world and European medal-winner Murphy and his mount Cleverboy put together a superb test on the 17-year-old at the Paralympics, and finished ninth of 22 overall. He faced an anxious wait for qualification to Saturday’s Freestyle as he lay in fourth position immediately following his test, with some big names to come and only eight to qualify. First, Italy’s Carola Semperboni and Paul went above Murphy, then world number one Mari Durward-Akhurst, leaving the Irishman in sixth place with five of the 22 combinations still to come. Italian Sara Morganti and Mariebelle were next into the arena and they catapulted themselves into the silver medal position to leave Murphy lying in seventh position with four more to come. Rihard Snikus from Latvia, who won double silver […]