Mike Bullen

Olympic countdown

WHEN the Olympic eventing competition appears on our screens this month, one man will be viewing it from a particularly interesting perspective. Along with James Templer, Mike Bullen is the last man standing from the British team that contested the 1964 Tokyo Games. Some memories remain vivid, others more patchy – and no wonder, for he spent part of the competition unconscious.

It hardly needs saying that Olympic preparation has changed out of all recognition. The first thing Mike and Capt Templer decided to do on arrival at the eventing site at Karuizawa – a five-hour round trip from the Olympic village – was to explore a volcano, not an activity that would be at the top of the list for today’s team officials reporting to UK Sport.

“It was the backdrop to the cross-country, smoking away quietly, so we thought it would be a laugh to have a look inside,” recalls