| ||
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Equestrian | ||
Representing Brazil | ||
Olympic Games | ||
2004 Athens | Individual jumping | |
1996 Atlanta | Team jumping | |
2000 Sydney | Team jumping | |
World Championships | ||
1998 Rome | Individual jumping | |
FEI Nations Cup | ||
2013 Barcelona | Team jumping | |
Pan American Games | ||
1995 Buenos Aires | Team jumping | |
2007 Rio de Janeiro | Team jumping | |
2007 Rio de Janeiro | Individual jumping | |
2011 Guadalajara | Team jumping | |
2023 Santiago | Team jumping |
Rodrigo de Paula Pessoa (born 29 November 1972 in Paris, France) is a Brazilian equestrian specialized in show jumping. The son of fellow equestrian Nelson Pessoa, Pessoa is considered one of the most talented of his generation, being an Olympic Games gold medalist in individual jumping and having over 70 Grand Prix wins. He has represented Brazil at 8 Olympic Games second most appearances behind Ian Millar which has 10.
Pessoa first competed in 1981 at Hickstead. In 1984, he claimed his first title as champion of the pony class, again in 1985. In 1988, he competed in his first Grand Prix.
He continued to build up his triumphant career by competing and winning many Grands Prix. In 1992, he rode Special Envoy in the Olympic Games in Barcelona for Brazil, making him one of the youngest riders to compete in the Olympics at the age of 19. In 1996, he again rode in the Olympics in Atlanta and helped Brazil win the bronze medal with Loro Piana TomBoy.
In 1998, he rode Gandini Lianos to be the youngest World Champion at 1998 FEI World Equestrian Games in Rome.
Pessoa took his career further by winning the World Cup Final on Baloubet du Rouet for three consecutive years in 1998, 1999, and 2000 a feat that has to this day been unmatched. He later claimed the title and prize for the world's best rider and in addition to the Show Jumping Year trophy.He has been ranked Number 1 in the World on the FEI Rankings. In 2000, he again won the bronze team medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney, and in spite of being a favorite to win the individual tournament, wound up disqualified once Baloubet twice refused to jump. In the 2004 Olympics in Athens, he won the individual silver medal, but after the disqualification of the Irish rider Cian O'Connor and his horse Waterford Crystal for doping, he was awarded the gold medal in an award ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. [1]
In 2007, Pessoa won the individual silver and team gold medals at the Pan American Games, held in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro.
Pessoa attracted controversy in 2008 when he was suspended by the FEI after his horse Rufus failed a doping test at the 2008 Olympic games. Pessoa was fined 2,000 Swiss francs and was suspended from international competitions for four and a half months. [2] [3] [4]
In 2010, he finished fourth individually and fourth with his team of Brazil at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY. In 2011, he again mounted the podium at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, with Team Brazil to collect a silver medal on HH Ashley.
He was also chosen to be Brazil's flag bearer at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. [5]
Not wanting to be a substitute in the Brazilian squad that would compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Pessoa skipped the games and conceded his spot to Felipe Amaral, [6] and instead covered the Olympics as a commentator for a French television channel. [7] In the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Pessoa only took part in the team qualifier, withdrawing from participating in the finals after his horse Carlito's Way 6 refused twice on course. [8]
In 2017, Horse Sport Ireland announced Pessoa as the new Irish showjumping team manager. As chief for Team Ireland, they won the 2017 European title in Gothenburg, and in 2019 got Ireland qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by winning the FEI Nation's Cup final. At the end of 2019, he ended his cooperation with Horse Sport Ireland to dedicate time to his family and riding career. He rides for James H. Clark and Artemis Farms in Wellington and Greenwich.
He married Alexa Weeks in 2009 and has 3 daughters Cecilia, Sophia, and Luciana. In 2019 they moved to her hometown of Wilton, Connecticut. He operates his business called Amethyst Equestrian with his wife Alexa from his farm in North Salem, New York just outside New York City and Wellington in the winter months. [9]
Results | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Event | Horse | Placing | Notes | ||||||
1990 | World Equestrian Games | Special Envoy | 8th | Team | ||||||
23rd | Individual | |||||||||
1992 | Olympic Games | Special Envoy | 10th | Team | ||||||
9th | Individual | |||||||||
1993 | World Cup Final | Special Envoy | 13th | |||||||
1994 | World Equestrian Games | Special Envoy | 4th | Team | ||||||
8th | Individual | |||||||||
1996 | World Cup Final | Tomboy | 4th | |||||||
1996 | Olympic Games | Tomboy | Team | |||||||
9th | Individual | |||||||||
1998 | World Cup Final | Baloubet du Rouet | ||||||||
1998 | World Equestrian Games | Gandini Lianos | 5th | Team | ||||||
Individual | ||||||||||
1999 | World Cup Final | Baloubet du Rouet | ||||||||
2000 | World Cup Final | Baloubet du Rouet | ||||||||
2000 | Olympic Games | Baloubet du Rouet | Team | |||||||
27th | Individual | |||||||||
2001 | World Cup Final | Baloubet du Rouet | ||||||||
2002 | World Cup Final | Baloubet du Rouet | ||||||||
2002 | World Equestrian Games | Baloubet du Rouet | 9th | Team | ||||||
26th | Individual | |||||||||
2003 | World Cup Final | Baloubet du Rouet | ||||||||
2004 | World Cup Final | Baloubet du Rouet | 38th | |||||||
2004 | Olympic Games | Baloubet du Rouet | 9th | Team | ||||||
Individual | ||||||||||
2005 | World Cup Final | Baloubet du Rouet | 7th | |||||||
2007 | World Cup Final | Oasis | 31st | |||||||
2007 | Pan American Games | HH Rufus | Team | |||||||
Individual | ||||||||||
2008 | Olympic Games | HH Rufus | DSQ | Team | ||||||
DSQ | Individual | |||||||||
2009 | World Cup Final | HH Rufus | 5th | |||||||
2010 | World Cup Final | HH Lets Fly | 16th | |||||||
2010 | World Equestrian Games | HH Rebozo | 4th | Team | ||||||
4th | Individual | |||||||||
2011 | Pan American Games | HH Ashley | Team | |||||||
26th | Individual | |||||||||
2012 | Olympic Games | HH Rebozo | 8th | Team | ||||||
22nd | Individual | |||||||||
2014 | World Equestrian Games | Status | 5th | Team | ||||||
21st | Individual | |||||||||
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew; DSQ = Disqualified |
Brazil competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's nineteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics, excluding the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. The Brazilian Olympic Committee sent the nation's largest ever delegation in history to the Games. A total of 243 athletes, 124 men and 119 women, competed in 24 sports.
Cian O'Connor is an Irish equestrian competing in show jumping. He has competed at four Olympic Games, four World Championships and six European Championships.
The individual show jumping event, part of the equestrian program at the 2004 Summer Olympics, was held from 22 to 27 August 2004 in the Olympic Equestrian Centre on the outskirts of Markopoulo in the Attica region of Greece. Like all other equestrian events, the jumping competition was mixed gender, with both male and female athletes competing in the same division. There were 77 competitors from 27 nations. Each nation could send up to 4 riders. Cian O'Connor of Ireland initially received the gold medal, but that medal was stripped from him due to doping. After his disqualification, the event was won by Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil, the nation's first medal in individual jumping. Silver went to Chris Kappler of the United States, with bronze to Marco Kutscher of Germany.
Baloubet du Rouet was a horse ridden by the Brazilian show jumper Rodrigo Pessoa. He has won many international titles.
Special Envoy was an Irish Sport Horse ridden by Rodrigo Pessoa. He won many top international competitions in the sport of show jumping. He stood 16.3 hh.
Galoubet A (1972–2005) was a horse ridden by the French rider Gilles-Bertran de Ballanda, in International show jumping and is a sire of show jumpers. He stood 17.0 hh (173 cm).
Phillip Peter Dutton, OAM is an Australian-born Olympic-level equestrian rider competing in eventing for the United States of America. He is a dual Olympic gold medalist who formerly competed for his country of birth but now competes for the USA.
Álvaro Affonso de Miranda Neto, more commonly known as Álvaro de Miranda or "Doda" Miranda, is an Olympic-class Brazilian show jumping rider. He was married to Athina Onassis. He is president of the organizing committee behind the Athina Onassis International Horse Show, which debuted in 2007 as the fifth stage of the Global Champions Tour in São Paulo. In 2008, the AOIHS-São Paulo event was the final phase of the tour. For the tour in 2009, the host city of the AOIHS was Rio de Janeiro.
Isabell Werth is a German equestrian who has competed in dressage at seven Olympic Games —1992, 1996, 2000, 2008, 2016, 2020, 2024— winning the gold medal in the team event in all seven, and one gold and six silver medals in the individual event. She stands alone in having medals from seven Olympics, or across a span of 32 years; her 14 medals are the most for any German or equestrian. She also has numerous titles in the World and European Championships and World Cups.
Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum is an American-born German equestrian who competes at the international level in show jumping.
Ludger Beerbaum is an internationally successful German equestrian who competes in show jumping and has been ranked the No. 1 Show Jumper in the world by the FEI on multiple occasions. He is also a four-time Olympic Gold medalist team and individual.
McLain Ward is an American show jumping competitor and five-time Olympic medalist.
Marco Kutscher is a German equestrian who competes in the sport of show jumping.
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Steve Guerdat is a Swiss equestrian who competes in the sport of show jumping.
Carlos Paro is an event rider who won a team bronze medal in the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2007, a team silver medal in the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada and an Individual Bronze and team Silver in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru in eventing for Brazil. He has competed in four Olympic games: the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The individual jumping in equestrian at the 2012 Olympic Games in London was held at Greenwich Park from 4 to 8 August. Like all other equestrian events, the jumping competition was mixed gender, with both male and female athletes competing in the same division. There were 75 competitors from 26 nations. The event was won by Steve Guerdat of Switzerland, the nation's first victory in individual jumping since 1924 and second overall. Gerco Schroder of the Netherlands took silver. Cian O'Connor of Ireland, who had been stripped of a gold medal in the event in 2004, earned bronze—Ireland's first medal in the event.
Christopher "Burto" Burton is an Australian equestrian, and Olympic Medal winner. He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in equestrian eventing, as well as the 2024 Summer Olympics in which he won a silver medal in the individual eventing competition.
Michael Jung is a German equestrian who competes in eventing and show jumping. A four-time Olympic gold medallist, he won individual and team gold at the 2012 London Olympics, followed by individual gold and team silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and the individual gold for the third time at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was inducted into the Eventing Rider Association Hall of Fame in 2013, and in 2016 he became only the second rider in history to win the Grand Slam of Eventing.
Tinka's Boy (1989–2022) was a chestnut Dutch Warmblood stallion who competed in show jumping, largely ridden by Swiss equestrian Markus Fuchs. Over an eight-year show career, Tinka's Boy won 26 international Grand Prix events and over 2 million Swiss Francs in prize money. He stood just under 16hh.