PARIS, SEPT 6: Sophie Wells is one of Britain's greatest equestrian Paralympians but she told AFP she is no longer as single-minded about winning gold as she once was, saying the euphoria "lasts only a few moments and then you are back to your normal life."
The 34-year-old dressage star made it a full house of medals when she won bronze on Wednesday, to go with her four golds and four silvers accrued in London, Rio and Tokyo.
Wells could add to her collection -- she has 39 championship medals in all -- with the team competition on Friday and the freestyle on Saturday.
Wells, who was born with amniotic band syndrome and as a result has no feeling or little movement in her feet and has lost several fingers, says time has mellowed her since her first Paralympics in London 12 years ago.
"I am definitely more emotional than I was in London," she told AFP by phone from the team base in Versailles.
"I am not taking anything for granted, I am very grateful for any medal of any colour.
"As time has gone on I am very grateful to be in the position I am in as so many people do not get to that place."
Wells said the person she is now could not be further removed from the one in 2012 when she won team gold and two individual silver medals.
"I was very naive, highly competitive and very single-minded, focused on wanting to win gold in London," she said.
"Naivety is a great thing but winning made me neither grateful nor happy.
"I was achieving something that should make me happy and you would think that.
"When you win gold you do feel happy automatically but it lasts only a few moments, then you are straight back to your normal life. —AFP
