Quick Facts
Biography
Sir David Lee Pearson, CBE (born 4 February 1974) is a 11-times paralympic games gold medallist having represented British para-equestrianism in Sydney, Athens, Beijing and London. Over the course of his career he has won 30 gold medals at European, World and Paralympic level.
Biography
Pearson was born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita and first came to public attention in 1980 when British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher carried him up stairs in 10 Downing Street having awarded him a 'Children of Courage' medal.
Pearson turned professional after he was inspired by the Atlanta Olympics. He won three gold medals in the championship dressage, freestyle dressage, and team dressage events at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Paralympics. He won gold in the team dressage event at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, silver in the championship dressage and bronze in the freestyle.
He noted after his failure to win gold in the freestyle competition in London that he had been voted down by the British judge but said that he would compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, on a different horse.
Competition record
| Competition | Venue | Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championships | Denmark | 1999 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Paralympics | Sydney, Australia | 2000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| European Championships | Portugal | 2002 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| World Championships | Belgium | 2003 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Paralympics | Athens, Greece | 2004 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| European Championships | Hungary | 2005 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| World Championships | Hartpury, United Kingdom | 2007 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Paralympics | Beijing, China | 2008 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| World Championships | Kentucky, United States | 2010 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Paralympics | London, United Kingdom | 2012 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| World Championships | Normandy, France | 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| European Championships | Deauville, France | 2015 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Paralympics | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Paralympics total | 11 | 2 | 1 | 14 | ||
| World Championship total | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | ||
| European Championships total | 5 | 4 | 0 | 9 | ||
| Overall total | 30 | 6 | 1 | 37 |
Honours
Pearson was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Staffordshire University in July 2005.
He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2001 New Year Honours for services to disabled sports, Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2005 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism and to disabled sport, and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism and to disabled sport. He was knighted in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism.
Personal life
Pearson runs his own dressage yard in Staffordshire and teaches many around the country. He currently lives in Bagnall, Staffordshire.
Pearson is gay. He entered into a civil partnership with Mark Latham in 2010, but they separated in 2012.
In 2016 he competed on Celebrity Mastermind.