David O'Connor

David O'Connor (born January 18, 1962 in Gaithersburg , Maryland ) is a former American eventing rider . The husband of the equally successful rider Karen O'Connor was once Olympic and world champion. He has been president of the American Equestrian Federation since 2004 and also coaches the Canadian national team.

Career

As the son of a well-known dressage judge , O'Connor came into contact with horse riding at an early age. When he was eleven, he and his mother and brother crossed all of North America on horseback, from Maryland to Oregon . From 1984 he took part in international competitions and was a substitute rider at the Olympic Games in 1988 , but without getting used.

His breakthrough came in 1990 when he won the Rolex Kentucky Three Day , a competition in the highest category CCI **** ; O'Connor repeated this success in 1995 and 2001. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta , O'Connor won the silver medal in the team standings. In 1997 O'Connor won the Badminton Horse Trials , in 1999 at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg the gold medal in the team and the silver medal in the individual standings.

O'Connor's career highlight was the 2000 Olympic Games : In Sydney he was Olympic champion in the individual standings and third with the team. At the World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera in 2002 , he won the team championship.

In 2004 O'Connor resigned from elite sport and took over the office of President of the United States Equestrian Federation. He has been married since 1993 and lives with his wife Karen in The Plains, Virginia . In addition to his association activities, he mainly devotes himself to the planning of facilities for cross-country riding. He is also the coach of the Canadian national team, which he led to the team silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. In 2013 he is to succeed Mark Phillips as the US national coach for eventing riders.

successes

• Olympic games
  • 1996: Silver team (on Giltedge )
  • 2000: Bronze Team (on Giltedge ), Gold Individual (on Custom Made )

• World Equestrian Games
  • 2002: Gold Team (on Giltedge )

• Pan American Games
  • 1999 Winnipeg: Gold Team, Silver Individual (on Giltedge )

• Other major tournaments
  • Winner Rolex Kentucky Three Day: 1990 (on Wilton Fair ), 1995 (on Giltedge ) and 2001 (on Custom Made )
  • Winner Badminton Horse Trials: 1997 ( Custom Made )

Web links

• Website of David and Karen O'Connor (English)
• Profile David O'Connor ( Memento from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive )