Meeting their match
WHEN two sporting stars collide, lasting memories are made — take the ongoing one-upmanship between football’s finest, Messi and Ronaldo, for example, or the spectacular shoot-outs between tennis giants Federer and Nadal.
From duels in the dressage arena to racing’s greatest rivalries, the equestrian world can boast its equivalents as the best in their game have gone head to head for glory. We asked some of the champions involved to give an insight into what it’s like to meet your match.
MCCOY VS JOHNSON
“I NEVER did beat him to the jockeys’ title, but he pushed me to try,” says National Hunt jockey Richard Johnson, runner-up to the legendary Sir AP McCoy in the jockeys’ championship a soul-destroying 16 times. “AP broke every record, raising the bar well above where it was. It still gives me something to aim at.”
AP hung up his boots in 2015, departing with 20 consecutive titles and more than 4,000 winners. He concedes that his
