Patrik Kittel

Last updated
Patrik Kittel
Patrik Kittel, 2018 (DSC 5698).jpg
Patrik Kittel (2018)
Personal information
Born (1976-06-10) 10 June 1976 (age 48)
Österåker, Sweden
Spouse Lyndal Oatley
Medal record
Equestrian
Representing Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
European Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2011 Rotterdam Freestyle dressage
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2017 Gothenburg Team dressage
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2019 Rotterdam Team dressage
World Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2024 Riyadh Individual dressage

Patrik Kittel (born 10 June 1976) is a Swedish dressage rider. He was born in Stockholm. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he placed fourth in team dressage. [1] At the 2012 Summer Olympics he competed in the team dressage events and qualified for the Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle, finishing 14th. [2]

Contents

In 2024, Kittel was chosen to represent Sweden at the 2024 Olympic Games, where he placed 14th in the individual competition. [3]

Controversy

In 2009, a video of Kittel riding Watermill Scandic using rollkur, or hyperflexion of the horse's neck during warm up at a competition in Denmark caused international outcry. [4] The horse's tongue appeared to turn blue as a result of the manouver, leading to the "blue-tongue scandal". [5] Tens of thousands of letters in protest were sent to dressage's world governing body, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), who banned the practice of rollkur after public pressure. [6] [7] [8] At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Kittel was pictured riding Scandic in rollkur in the warm up prior to the competition. [9] [10] In response to public outcry, the FEI reported the images were taken during an "inopportune moment". [11] [10] [12]

In 2024, Kittel was pictured riding in competitions in Amsterdam and Neumünster where his horse's tongue was noticeably blue, suggesting his mount was in pain and had lost oxygen. [13] The FEI claimed to be looking into the allegations. [14] At the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, Kittel's horse Touchdown was again pictured with a blue tongue. [15] When asked about the incident, Göran Åkerström, the International Equestrian Federation chief veterinarian said a blue tongue was unacceptable. [16]

Personal life

He is married to Australian dressage rider Lyndal Oatley. [17]

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References

  1. "Patrik Kittel". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  2. "Patrik Kittel - Equestrian - Olympic Athlete | London 2012". Archived from the original on 2013-05-01. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  3. www.eurosport.com https://www.eurosport.com/geoblocking.shtml . Retrieved 2024-08-07.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. "At the Heart of the Matter at the 2009 Global Dressage Forum". Eurodressage. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  5. McVeigh, Tracy (2010-01-03). "Olympics row over horse 'cruelty'". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  6. MacArthur, Jenny (2010-02-10). "Public outcry brings ban on controversial equestrian warm-up". The Times. Archived from the original on 2010-06-03.
  7. Butcher, Abigail (2009-11-12). "Rollkur row under discussion by FEI". Horse and Hound. Archived from the original on 2010-09-11.
  8. ""I've had hate mail" days dressage rider at centre of blue tongue row". Horse and Hound. 2009-11-06.
  9. "Patrik Kittel trainiert nicht mehr mit Sjef Janssen -". St.GEORG. 2012-11-01. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  10. 1 2 StraightArrow (2012-08-05). "Controversial Photos Cast Shadow Over Olympic Dressage". Dressage-News. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  11. "Rollkur: Is It Really That Bad?!". Tack N Tails. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  12. Nyheter, S. V. T. (2012-08-03). "Kittel anklagas för plågeri". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  13. "Patrik Kittel's horse lost oxygen: "The tongue is blue-purple"". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  14. StraightArrow (2024-03-22). "FEI "Actively Looking Into" Swedish Newspaper Report on "Blue Tongue" in Horses Competed by 3 of World's Top Dressage Riders". Dressage-News. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  15. "The Swede's horse had a blue tongue: "Unacceptable" | Sweden Herald". swedenherald.se. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  16. "Svenskens häst hade blå tunga: "Oacceptabelt"". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 2024-08-05. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  17. Kelly, Eugenie (23 March 2022). "Lyndal Oatley's German fairytale". Australian Financial Review . Retrieved 9 February 2024.