List of Olympic medalists in equestrian
Equestrian sports are among those contested at the Summer Olympic Games. Equine events began at the Olympics in 1900, when competitions in polo (considered by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to be a separate sport from the other equestrian events), vaulting, four-in-hand driving, mail coach driving, mixed hacks and hunters and three types of jumping (high jump, long jump and show-jumping) were held.[1][2] Most of these events were later discontinued, although equestrian events have continued through the 2008 Summer Olympics, and now include team and individual dressage, three-day eventing and show-jumping.[3] Competitors in the modern pentathlon event also have to complete an equestrian show-jumping course, but this is not part of the equestrian events.[4]
Modern-day Olympic equestrian events are rooted in cavalry skills and classical horsemanship,[5] and through 1948, competition was restricted to active-duty officers on military horses.[6] Only after 1952, as mechanization of warfare reduced the number of military riders, were civilian riders allowed to compete.[7][8] Equestrian is the only Olympic sport in which animals compete with humans, and is one of four sports in which the genders compete against each other,[9] the others being some sailing divisions, mixed doubles division in tennis and the mixed doubles division of badminton.[10][11] The rules for Olympic equestrian competition are set by the Fédération Équestre Internationale, the international governing body for equestrian sports.[3]
In two instances, the equestrian portion of the Olympics has been held in a different location from the rest of the games. The first was during the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia when, due to Australian quarantine laws, the equestrian portion was held in Stockholm, Sweden. At the next IOC meeting, it was decided to hold a special Equestrian Olympic Games several months before the actual Olympics, complete with its own opening and closing ceremonies.[12] This meant that Switzerland, which had officially boycotted the 1956 Games because of the Soviet Union's recent invasion of Hungary, still brought home a medal because of its participation in the equestrian portion several months earlier.[12][13] The second instance was during the 2008 Summer Olympics, when the equestrian events were held in Hong Kong rather than Beijing. This decision was made when, in 2005, international veterinary groups refused to certify the main Olympic city as free of equine diseases. This would have resulted in horses leaving Beijing after the games and having to go through lengthy quarantine processes before being allowed to re-enter their home countries. Hong Kong also had the benefit of having better facilities, including a top equine hospital and one of only a few equine drug-testing labs in the world.[14]
The Summer Olympics have included 2,129 equestrian participants, including 1,751 men and 378 women, from 69 countries.[1][note 1], of which 564 won a medal. As of the 2008 Olympics, 395 medals have been awarded to 31 NOCs. The oldest rider was 72-year-old Arthur von Pongracz of Austria at the 1936 Summer Olympics, while the youngest was 16-year-old Luiza Almeida of Brazil at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[1] Three athletes (Reiner Klimke of Germany, Isabell Werth of Germany and Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands) have each earned eight medals. Germany leads the country medalist rankings with 21 gold medals (42 overall),[note 2] followed by Sweden with 17 (41 overall) and France with 12 (34 overall).[1] Canadian rider Ian Millar holds the record for the most Olympic equestrian appearances and matches the record for athletes in any sport, having competed in nine Olympics as of 2008.[15]
Current program
Dressage, individual
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Dressage, team
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Eventing, individual
Eventing, team
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Jumping, individual
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Jumping, team
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Discontinued events
High jump
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 Paris |
Dominique Gardères France |
none awarded[note 4] | Georges van der Poële.svg.png){kind=small} Belgium |
Giovanni Giorgio Trissino.svg.png){kind=small} Italy |
Long jump
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 Paris |
Constant van Langhendonck Belgium |
Giovanni Giorgio Trissino Italy |
de Bellegarde France |
Vaulting, individual
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 Antwerp |
Daniel Bouckaert Belgium |
Field France |
Louis Finet Belgium |
Vaulting, team
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 Antwerp |
Belgium (BEL) Daniel Bouckaert Louis Finet van Ranst [note 5] |
France (FRA) Field Salins Cauchy |
 Sweden (SWE)Carl Green Anders Mårtensson Oskar Nilsson |
Unofficial events
These two events were contested only at the 1900 Summer Games. Today, the IOC does not recognize them as official events, but instead as unofficial or demonstration events.
Mixed hacks and hunters combined
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 Paris |
Louis Napoléon Murat France |
Archenoul France |
Robert de Montesquiou-Fézensac France |
Mail coach
This event was also known as the "Mixed four-in-hand", and appears that way in some references.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 Paris |
Georges Nagelmackers Belgium |
Léon Thome France |
Jean, Baron de Neuflize France |
Statistics
Athlete medal leaders
Athletes who have won at least five medals are listed below.
| Athlete | Nation | Gender | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klimke, ReinerReiner Klimke |  Germany (GER) |
Male | 1960, 1964, 1968, 1976, 1984, 1988 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Werth, IsabellIsabell Werth | Germany (GER) |
Female | 1992, 1996, 2000, 2008 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Winkler, Hans GünterHans Günter Winkler | Germany (GER) |
Male | 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Mortanges, Charles Pahud deCharles Pahud de Mortanges |  Netherlands (NED) |
Male | 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| van Grunsven, AnkyAnky van Grunsven | Netherlands (NED) |
Female | 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| Plumb, MichaelMichael Plumb |  United States (USA) |
Male | 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1984, 1992 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Foster Thomson, EarlEarl Foster Thomson | United States (USA) |
Male | 1932, 1936, 1948 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Neckermann, JosefJosef Neckermann | Germany (GER) |
Male | 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Jousseaume, AndréAndré Jousseaume | France (FRA) |
Male | 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Linsenhoff, LiselottLiselott Linsenhoff | Germany (GER) |
Female | 1956, 1968, 1972 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Todd, MarkMark Todd |  New Zealand (NZL) |
Male | 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2008, 2012 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Stückelberger, ChristineChristine Stückelberger |  Switzerland (SUI) |
Female | 1972, 1976, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| D'Inzeo, RaimondoRaimondo D'Inzeo |  Italy (ITA) |
Male | 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Chammartin, HenriHenri Chammartin | Switzerland (SUI) |
Male | 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Fischer, GustavGustav Fischer | Switzerland (SUI) |
Male | 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| D'Inzeo, PieroPiero D'Inzeo | Italy (ITA) |
Male | 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Notes
- ↑ This number is approximate, because the number of competitors in early games is uncertain in many cases.
- ↑ Note that this is only the medals won Germany as a whole country; medals won by the Unified Team of Germany (EUA) and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) are not included. The IOC considers these three separate National Olympic Committees and lists their results as such, but another major database combines Germany and the EUA, while leaving the FRG separate.[1]
- ↑ This was because only two teams finished the competition.[16]
- ↑ Two gold medals were awarded due to the top two competitors tying for the highest jump, at 1.8 metres (71 in)[17]
- ↑ The IOC medal database shows two more team members van Schauwbroeck and van Cauwenberg,[18] however another major database shows only three medalists, although it also includes two men named Van Schauwenbroeck and Albert Van Cauwenburg in the individual vaulting category.[19]
References
- General
- "All the Medallists since 1896". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
- Kubatko, Justin. "Equestrianism". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
- "Stats: Paris 1900". Beijing 2008. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
- Bryant, Jennifer O. (2000). Olympic Equestrian: The Sports and the Stories from Stockholm to Sydney. Canada: The Blood-Horse, Inc. ISBN 1-58150-044-0.
- Specific
- 1 2 3 4 5 Kubatko, Justin. "Equestrianism". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
- ↑ Bryant, Jennifer O. (2000). Olympic Equestrian: The Sports and the Stories from Stockholm to Sydney. Canada: The Blood-Horse, Inc. pp. 24–25. ISBN 1-58150-044-0.
- 1 2 "Equestrian". The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
- ↑ "Modern Pentathlon: Inside this Sport". NBC Beijing 2008. NBC Universal. Retrieved October 29, 2009.
- ↑ Bryant, Jennifer O. (2000). Olympic Equestrian: The Sports and the Stories from Stockholm to Sydney (1st ed.). Canada: The Blood-Horse, Inc. pp. 14–15. ISBN 1-58150-044-0.
- ↑ Edwards, Elwyn Hartley and Candida Geddes (editors) (1987). The Complete Horse Book. North Pomfret, VT: Trafalgar Square, Inc. p. 292. ISBN 0-943955-00-9.
- ↑ Edwards, Elwyn Hartley and Candida Geddes (editors) (1987). The Complete Horse Book. North Pomfret, VT: Trafalgar Square, Inc. p. 296. ISBN 0-943955-00-9.
- ↑ Reuters (August 7, 2008). "Factbox for Equestrianism". Reuters Website. Reuters. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
- ↑ "Equestrian: Inside this Sport". NBC Beijing 2008. NBC Universal. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
- ↑ "Sailing: Inside This Sport". NBC Beijing 2008. NBC Universal. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
- ↑ "Badminton: Inside this Sport". NBC Beijing 2008. NBC Universal. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
- 1 2 Kubatko, Justin. "1956 Stockholm Equestrian Games". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
- ↑ "Three countries boycott the Games in Melbourne". CBC Sports (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). August 7, 2009. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
- ↑ Bradsher, Keith (August 3, 2008). "Haze, Humidity and Horses". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
- ↑ "Olympic Moments". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. August 24, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- ↑ "Games of the X Olympiad" (PDF). Fédération Equestre Internationale. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- ↑ Kubatko, Justin. "Equestrianism at the 1900 Paris Summer Games: Mixed High Jump". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
- ↑ "All the Medallists since 1896 - Vaulting". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
- ↑ Kubatko, Justin. "Belgium Equestrianism at the 1920 Antwerpen Summer Games". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
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