With some 471 days to go till the 2008 Olympic Games and a week during which the eyes of the sports world are turned to Beijing where the SportAccord convention is currently taking place, let us take stock from the past, from the inspirational to the downright remarkable feats in equestrian Olympic history. While the list could be endless, as achievements are incomparable, we have made a small selection of some Olympic legends that have graced our sport with a touch of magic. Moments, when you realize something truly remarkable has just occurred and your whole body is tingling with unabated emotion and excitement.
The year is 1952 and women have only just won the right to compete in Olympic Dressage. The woman is Lis Hartel and her background is rather different from most equestrian athletes of the time. In 1944, at the age of 23, she was paralysed by polio and while she gradually regained the use of most of her muscles she nonetheless remained paralysed below the knee but learned to do without those muscles. She was chosen to represent Denmark at the 1952 Olympics and, even though she had to be helped on and off her horse, was awarded silver. When gold medallist Henri Saint Cyr helped her up onto the victory platform for the medal presentation, it was one of the most emotional moments in Olympic history.
Then there’s the story of a guy that literally takes it step by step and confirms the saying, practice makes perfect… The man is Reiner Klimke, and he is a six-time Olympic Dressage veteran with six gold medals and two bronze. While glorious in retrospect, his first appearance in Rome 1960 saw his individual performance awarded with the lowest score… Not one to give up, he returned four years later, this time to Tokyo and finished sixth. His motivation remained unscathed and he returned yet another four years later at the 1968 Mexico Games and actually stepped onto the podium, with a bronze medal. This success drove him another eight years later to another individual bronze in 1976. We should mention that, throughout this time, as a German national, he was also picking up team gold at virtually every edition. The final straw, only this straw represented an overwhelming achievement, was when he was awarded individual gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, making it effectively an ascension from last place to first in a record 24 years. Those who are last will be first… Epic indeed.
Overcoming the pain is what many consider an essential Olympic quality, and here we have the example of two gentlemen, Germany’s Hans Günter Winkler in the 1950s and Australian Bill Roycroft in the 1960s, where a little bravado became more than an Olympic characteristic, it took them all the way to the podium.
For Winkler it was during the 1956 Olympic Games in Stockholm where he rode Halla, another legend (whose exploits are numerous and are to be counted amongst the ranks of Olympic legends). During the first round, Halla took off early for the penultimate fence and Winkler was thrown into the air and went on to land heavily back in the saddle, pulling a groin muscle in the process. He knew that if he withdrew from the final round, the German team would be eliminated. Dizzy and in pain, he rode anyway. Halla then completed the course without a fault. They earned gold in both the individual and team events. Winkler then went on to win another 5 gold medals at various Olympics and is the only Jumper to win seven total medals and the only rider in any discipline to earn medals in six different Olympics.
Roycroft had a similar experience, only it was 1960 and Eventing. He was thrown from his horse and was diagnosed with a concussion and a broken collarbone. He was sent to a hospital, but he knew that if he withdrew, his team would be disqualified. So the next day, Roycroft left his hospital bed and competed in the Jumping test, and of course, as all Olympic moments are made of magic, his performance led the Australian team to victory…
These moments are precious, and the Olympics or even sport for that matter is what it is because we respect determination and we admire the will to overcome the obstacles life may pose in our way. To confront one’s fears and emerge stronger and better for it, to try and to succeed, to overcome the forces that be by sheer determination.
This small recollection is but the very tip of one of the icebergs floating in the Olympic memory lanes and we look forward in 470 days or so, to experience the magic, where limits are redefined and stamina and strive unparalleled. To celebrate the best of sport in all its glory where the mental fight is at least half the battle.
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