Olympic champs highlight Brazil equestrian event
Topics: From the Wires, News
Granddaughter and sole heiress of the late shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, Athina Onassis, left, and her husband, Brazilian professional show jumper Alvaro "Doda" de Miranda, speak at the Athina Onassis International Horse Show 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012. The show which is considered the largest equestrian event in Latin America brings together the best riders in the world competing in jumping and dressage. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)(Credit: AP)RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Seven Olympic champions and nine out of the world’s 10 top-ranked riders are in Rio de Janeiro for Latin America’s most important equestrian event, which kicked off on Thursday.
The 6th edition of the Athina Onassis Horse Show drew stars including Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, who won the gold at this summer’s Olympics in London, as well as Britain’s Nick Skelton, who took the Olympic gold in the team competition. The United States’ Laura Kraut, who won gold in Beijing in 2008, is also competing.
The show’s namesake, Artistotle Onassis’ granddaughter and heiress to his shipping fortune, will also compete, as will her husband, Brazilian rider Alvaro Miranda, and fellow Brazilian star Rodrigo Pessoa, who took Olympic gold in Athens in 2004.
Miranda, a Sao Paulo native who spearheaded the 2007 launch of the event, described this year’s edition as technically the most challenging yet.
“We not only have the best riders, but this year we have the best horses,” he told journalists at a news conference, adding that 92 horses were being flown in from Europe aboard special flights.
A total of 114 horses are to participate in the jumping events, which include a team competition between riders from eight of the 17 nationalities present, as well as the showcase Oi Grand Prix.
Miranda said the show marked an important milestone as Rio gears up to host the 2016 Olympics.
“I wanted to show people that we (Brazilians) could organize an event of this scale,” he said. “Since just a little time has passed since this summer’s games, I suspect this Olympic flame is still going to be alive in all of us this weekend.”
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