Gillian Rolton

Gillian Rolton , AM (born May 3, 1956 in Adelaide ; † November 18, 2017 ) was an Australian horse breeder and eventing rider . She was a two-time Olympic champion.

Rolton began riding at the age of ten and soon competed in her first competitions. At first she concentrated on dressage riding . It was not until she was 21 that the trained school teacher decided to take up show jumping training and switch to eventing. Rolton missed qualifying for the 1984 Olympic Games because her horse injured his leg. Before the 1988 Games, she sustained a serious elbow injury in a fall.

In the 1990s, the gray thoroughbred gelding Peppermint Grove (1981–2006) became her successful horse. At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona , Rolton won the gold medal in the team classification with the gray horse. In the individual ranking she came in 21st place. Two years later she represented Australia again, with Peppermint Grove Rolton came fourth in the team and 41st individual at the World Equestrian Games in The Hague.

She repeated the team win of 1992 with the same horse four years later in Atlanta , although she fell twice during the cross-country ride and broke her collarbone and two ribs. She gave up and thus provided the team's cancellation result.

Rolton was one of eight athletes who carried the Olympic flag into the stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney . In the same year she announced her resignation and since then has mainly worked as a horse breeder. She has also acted as a judge at various international competitions and as a trainer. She was also President of the Organizing Committee of the Australian International Three Day Event in Adelaide . In November 2000, Gillian Rolton was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame .

She died on November 18, 2017 at the age of 61 from complications from cancer .

Web links

• Official website
• Gillian Rolton in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
• Brief portrait of the Australian Olympic Committee
• Brief portrait on Australien Women

Individual evidence

1. ^ Marg Ralston: Obituary: SA sporting legend Marg Ralston's tribute to her dear friend Gillian Rolton. In: The Advertiser. November 18, 2017, accessed November 18, 2017 . 
2. ^ Eventing: Gill Rolton, an eventful life Part 2. In: The Horse Magazine. October 2010, accessed on November 18, 2017 . 
3. ^ Performance pedigree of: Peppermint Grove , hippomundo.com, accessed on November 19, 2017
4. ^ Biography of Gillian Rolton on her website, accessed November 19, 2017
5. ^ Olympic Games 1992, Versatility Results , history.fei.org
6. ↑ World Equestrian Games 1994, Eventing Results , history.fei.org
7. ↑ 1996 Olympic Games, Versatility Results , history.fei.org
8. ^ Hall of Fame: Gillian Rolton OAM - Equestrian , sahof.org.au, accessed November 18, 2017
9. ^ Reece Homfray: Equestrian great and dual Olympic gold medalist Gillian Rolton passes away at the age of 61. In: new.com.au. November 18, 2017, accessed November 18, 2017 .