SHOWJUMPER Peter Charles will return to his home in Bentworth, near Alton, this week, after winning Olympic gold.

The 52-year old helped his team deliver Great Britain's first showjumping gold medal in 60 years in front of an emotionally-charged audience at Greenwich Park on Monday.

Riding 10-year-old Dutch gelding Murka's Vindicat W, Charles had failed to go clear in his three previous rounds but, in a golden jump-off against Holland, following clear rounds by team-mates Nick Skelton and Ben Maher, Scott Brash's horse, Hello Sanctos, had a fence down, leaving it down to the local pair to secure victory.

As the arena fell into hushed silence, Charles showed cool, risking time penalties by favouring a steady, deliberate approach, leaving no room for error as he tackled each of the eight fences one by one, punching the air in triumph as he cleared the last, to ear splitting applause.

For full story, see this week's Alton Herald.