Name: William Fox-Pitt

Olympic sport: Equestrian eventing

Advertisement

Age: 47

From: London

When is William Fox-Pitt competing in Rio 2016?

Fox-Pitt is competing in Team Eventing and Individual Eventing on Saturday 6th August.

Greatest moment

He was the first British rider to become eventing's World No 1, a distinction he achieved in 2002, 2009, 2010 and 2014.

More like this
114205

Who is William Fox-Pitt?

Fox-Pitt started eventing at the age of 15, representing Britain during his teenage years and winning his first medal, a silver at the Junior European Championships in 1987. He continued to impress, winning Burghley and getting a spot on the British Olympic Team in 1996.

He's broken a number of records during his equestrian career. He was the first British rider to become World No 1, the only rider to have won five out of the six CII***'s and the first rider to win six Burghley titles.

He's also won team Silver at the 2012 London Olympics, team Silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics and team Bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

But Fox-Pitt's involvement in Rio 2016, his fifth Olympics, was put at risk after a cross-country fall last autumn which left him seriously injured. The rider fell at the World Young Horse Championships in France and was placed in an induced coma after suffering a head trauma.

He was unconscious for two weeks and didn't ride for six months, but he was determined to make it to Rio. "I always thought I would come to Rio, but I don't think anyone else did!" Fox-Pitt told Sportsmail recently.

Advertisement

He'll be competing with the rest of the eventing team Pippa Funnell, Gemma Tattersall and Kitty King on the first day of the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement