MARK ETHERIDGE: Philippa Johnson-Dwyer: Tall in the saddle

It’s perfectly fitting that her first name and Paralympics share the same first letter, because in Philippa Johnson-Dwyer, SA has an athlete that embodies the pain and perseverance of the Games.

Johnson-Dwyer turns 50 this year and with no fewer than five Paralympic Games under her saddle, she is one of the country’s most decorated equestrian athletes.

Formerly from Johannesburg, a motor accident in 1998 left her with no use in her right arm and just 60% use of her right leg. But coming from a showjumping family, she transitioned undaunted from dressage into para-dressage.

The sheer bloody-mindedness of Johnson-Dwyer soon tasted success, winning two silver medals at the 2004 Games in Athens and double gold in Beijing in 2008. Behind her success for those four medals was trusty steed Benedict, who celebrated his 30th birthday in February and is now enjoying retirement at Johnson-Dwyer’s property in Belgium.

Johnson-Dwyer has spent almost half her life in Belgium but that was never her plan.

“I actually left SA in 2003 to move here while I prepared for the Athens Games in 2024. The plan was to stay here for a year but I just never came back and believe it or not, it’s been 21 years now. The only change is that I’ve moved from a little chalet to the bigger spot where we are now.”

The “we” is her now-husband, Irishman James Dwyer, who is also a para-dressage rider.

“I actually met James in 2002 at my very first international competition, which happened to be in Belgium ... but for the first eight years I thought he was actually married — and he thought I was just being friendly because I didn’t flirt with him,” she laughs.

“It was only at World Equestrian Games in 2010 that I suddenly discovered he wasn’t married. But the problem then was that he was based in the US, so it took another two years to sort all that out.”

The couple tied the knot in early 2014, meaning they celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary earlier this year. But it hasn’t been all celebration for Johnson-Dwyer. “I found the newest member of the family, a mare called Just In Time, in August of 2019. I fell in love with her instantly but then I fell ill a month later.”

At first she thought it was a bad case of gastro but it soon progressed to severe muscle spasms, to the extent that she couldn’t move.

“James rushed me to hospital and blood tests showed I had a severe bacterial infection in my blood, a type of bacteria that can be picked up by working with animals, but cases are extremely rare.”

Doctors did a thorough check and “true as Bob, the bacteria had attacked one of my heart valves and I had endocarditis”.

But there was a double-whammy hurdle in wait and it’s really relevant that her new mount is named Just In Time.

While doctors were busy with their checks they also discovered Johnson-Dwyer had the early stages of colon cancer.

“Thankfully they found it very early but the dilemma was whether to do the open-heart surgery or treat the cancer.”

Doctors chose the surgery route but because she was relatively young, they wanted to give her a mechanical heart valve, though the downside was that she’d be on blood thinners for the rest of her life. “I told them that was simply a no-go — because of my sport and disability, I’m always falling and that’s not something you want to do when you’re on blood thinners.”

At that stage she’d already qualified for Tokyo and told the medical team to do whatever they had to because she was determined to go to Tokyo. “Thankfully the professor was able to use my own pericardiac sack to repair the infected valve successfully.”

Johnson-Dwyer took a month to recover from the open-heart surgery and then went through five weeks of chemotherapy and radiation for the cancer.

“I’ve just had my four-year check-up and am still clear. My last round of chemo/radiation was on December 29 2020 and the next year I made my way to Tokyo — the Covid pandemic was almost a lifesaver for me as it pushed the Games back a year.”

She knew she was taking a chance by going to Tokyo and she paid, in pain.

“My osteopath was rather ‘irritated’ because she says it normally takes the body three years to recover from chemo/radiation so I did so, so much damage to my body. The year after Tokyo my body broke in every way possible and I paid the price for Paralympic participation. But here we are again, finally getting ready for Paris.”

The road has been rocky, but Johnson-Dwyer doesn’t really know the meaning of a smooth road. “We’ve had lots of niggly injuries and things, just small enough to keep us from having the prep we really wanted. A few weeks ago the saddle-tree was broken and it really did my poor mare’s back in.”

Given the road she travelled to just get to Paris for the 2024 Paralympics, which take place from August 28 to September 8 2024, what are Philippa and Just In Time, a 12-year-old German Oldenburger breed, expecting?

She pauses before answering, almost a half-halt (to use dressage terminology): “My goals for Paris? Ideally I’d love to qualify for the final but I’m just not sure with our preparation though.

“Let’s say that this Olympics for me is about embracing the Olympic spirit and that participation is the most important thing — and after what we’ve been through this year if we’re 100% and just get to go down that centre line I’d be the happiest chick in the world!”

For Johnson-Dwyer relationships and anniversaries go hand in hoof, whether it’s marital, equine-related or the daily teaching duties she carries out with budding riders.

This year was the 20th anniversary of her working relationship with trainer Chris Haazen. “Not many riders and coaches can say that these days.”

Not many people, sports fans or not, can say they’ve overcome the obstacles the universe has seen fit to lay in Johnson-Dwyer’s path, but somehow one just senses that she’ll get over them, just like she’s done throughout her life.