Equestrian has a unique place in world sport, the only competition in which men and women participate equally, even at the highest level. In addition, the age span of the participants is also very amazing, and at the Tokyo Olympics, the age gap between the oldest and youngest equestrian athletes reached 47 years! Chinese riders Li Zhenqiang and Li Yaofeng also set a good story of father and son participating in the Tokyo Olympics together.
Tokyo 2020 also reminds us that generations from the same family can reach the pinnacle of the sport. Sharing his beloved sport with the people he loves the most through words and deeds has also promoted the development of modern equestrian sports to some extent.
British dressage rider Charlotte Fry, whose late mother, Laura Fry, represented Britain at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. About 30 years later, young Charlotte also set foot on the Tokyo Olympics. Interestingly, the mother and daughter shared the same Olympic dressage national team mate, British veteran rider Carl Hester.
Carl began mentoring Charlotte as a teenager and had a significant impact on her career, especially since charlotte's mother Laura died in 2012 when she was 16.
Carl Hester said: "Laura is an amazing athlete, she is brave, and I believe this is where Lotty (Charlotte's nickname) comes from. We all told Lottie how proud her mom would be for her. ”
An English equestrian family
There are two other very famous equestrian families in the UK, including the Whitaker family's great success in the field obstacle course and, of course, the Achievements of the British Royal Family in Equestrianism.
Princess Anne of England competed in montreal in 1976, becoming the first member of the royal family to participate in the Olympics, when she was only 25 years old. She also won the individual title at the 1971 European Triathlon Championships. Her daughter, Zara Tindall, also became individual and team champions in all three European events in 2005. A year later she won the gold medal at the FIV WORLD Equestrian Games in Aachen. She was also a member of the British team, the team silver medalist at the London 2012 Olympics, when her medal was hand-presented by her mother. Of course, the late Prince Philip – Anne's father and Zara's grandfather – was also one of the world's top coach racers.
John Whitaker, one of the world's equestrian superstars of the 1980s and 1990s, won more than $1 million in prize money with his partner Milton. He and his brother Michael were both members of the British team, which won a team silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The Brothers Steven and Ian also had exciting results, while the next generation of Whitaker descendants excelled, with more than 10 cousins competing in elite-level obstacle courses.
In 2016, William Whitaker became the third family member to win the English title in the All England Steeplechase after Uncle John and Michael. He won the 2018 FIMA Club Steeplechase World Cup in London. Allen Whitaker has played for the Uk national team, while Jack Whitaker, who played at the 2018 Youth Olympics, recently won a major tournament in London.
After the London victory, Michael's son, Jack, 20, commented on how important the victory was for him and his family: "It's hard to put into words – I think I've never missed an Olympia race in London since I was born, I've always come here with my dad, I've watched my dad win a lot of games and a lot of my family, so it's nice that I can pocket this title myself." ”
John said: "It's extraordinary that everyone in a family does the same thing. I think they've been watching the game since they were born. ”
Field obstacle relay
One of John Whitaker's main rivals was Canadian rider Ian Millar, whose son Jonathan and daughter Amy became international equestrians in their own right.
Also in the Americas, Brazil's Nelson & Rodrigo Pessoa completed the Olympic relay, with the former making their debut at the 1956 Olympics and Rodrigo competing in Tokyo 2020. Nielsen has won a number of major events around the world, while Rodrigo won olympic gold medals in 2004 and is a three-time FIMA Club steeplechase World Cup champion.
In 1992, 56-year-old Nelson and 19-year-old Rodrigo jointly represented Brazil at the Barcelona Olympics, once again highlighting the opportunities that equestrian sports can offer for people of all ages.
Rodrigo says family connections are crucial to his success: "Stress and expectations are there from the start, so I know how to cope. It will always be a part of my life. For me, this became quite normal. I prepare for the game as normally as possible. I have had a clear goal since I was a child. It's about completing the task, being the best rider and winning as much as you can. Seeing my father compete, I wanted to do the same thing and one day become an Olympic champion. ”
Two of the biggest stars in the steeplechase event, Swiss riders Steve Guerdat and Martin Fuchs, have also followed in the footsteps of successful relatives and entered the arena.
Steve's father, Philippe, was a two-time Olympian and a famous coach. Martin's parents, Thomas and Renata, both elite level steeplechase runners, were named to the Swiss Olympic team in 1992. Martin's uncle Markus won the Olympic title five times and helped Switzerland win a team silver medal in 2000, and a year later he also partnered Tinka's Boy to win the FIMA Federation Steeplechase World Cup Finals.
Martin once said, "My grandfather built everything for the Fox family." Originally a farmer, he bought a few horses, opened a riding school, and began trading horses again. His four children, my father, uncle and their sisters, have been very successful in riding and racing since childhood. ”
In another European country, the Netherlands, the Chardons produced two generations of world championships in carriage races between father and son. Father Ijsbrand has been the top runner in the project for decades, while his son Bram won the 2019 FIM Carriage Racing World Cup Finals and last year's European Championship.
The Klimke family
In most cases, riders from the same family focus on the same equestrian sport. But this is not always the case. German star rider Ingrid Klimke followed her father Reiner as a top athlete in the triathlon and dressage fields.
Reiner competed in six Olympic Games between 1960 and 1988 and won eight dressage medals, including six gold medals, a record at the time. Not only was he the individual dressage champion at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, but he also finished 18th in the individual triathlon at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
In contrast, Ingrid was more successful in all three events, winning the European Championship three times and the Olympic team gold medal twice. In terms of dressage, she finished seventh in the 2002 FIMA Dressage World Cup Finals and was initially selected for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Triathlon and Dressage Germany Team A.
Ingrid's 20-year-old daughter, Greta Busacker, recently won best rookie at the 2021 FIMA Awards. She is the individual and team winner of the 2021 FIMA Triathlon European Young Riders Championships and the bronze medalist of the 2021 German National Young Riders Championships.
Last April, Ingrid and Greta played a match in Radovzell. In the final obstacle course, Ingrid was heading in the direction of victory, but the final stage of the shot put Greta in the lead. Ingrid said at the time: "I am rarely happy about a single mistake. But in that moment, the mother's instinct may be stronger than the will to win. I know Greta is now ahead of me. ”
The third generation of the Klimke family is likely to continue to lead German riders in major events for many years to come.
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