Screaming fans, waving flags, raucous cheering and stomping feet are normally reserved for football games at the University of Kentucky’s nearby Commonwealth Stadium, but during the vaulting competition at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the Alltech Arena has been the loudest place in town. 

However, absolute silence fell over the crowd when Joanne Eccles, 21, entered the ring and delivered an elegant and powerful performance to take home Great Britain’s first ever WEG vaulting medal.