Jack Le Goff facts for kids
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| Born | 8 April 1931 Alençon, Orne, France |
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| Died | 24 July 2009 (aged 78) Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France |
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Jack Le Goff was a famous French horseman. He was born in France on April 8, 1931, and passed away on July 24, 2009. He is most famous for being the coach of the American three-day eventing team. He led the team from 1970 to 1984.
During his time as coach, his teams won 18 international medals. This included many medals at the Olympic Games. Many people say his coaching time was a "golden era" for horse riding in America. Before coaching, Le Goff was a rider himself. He competed for France and won an Olympic medal.
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Jack Le Goff's Early Life and Riding Career
Jack Le Goff was born in 1931. His father was an officer in the French cavalry, which is a part of the army that rides horses. Jack started riding horses when he was very young. As a teenager, he competed in many horse sports. These included steeplechase (horse racing over obstacles), dressage, showjumping, and eventing.
When he was seventeen, Le Goff joined the French military. He began riding for the Cadre Noir. This is France's national riding academy. After his training, he became a riding master there for ten years.
Olympic Competitions
Le Goff competed in two Olympic Games for France. In 1960, at the Rome Games, he finished sixth as an individual rider. He also helped the French team win a bronze medal.
At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, he finished twenty-third individually. The French team placed eighth. He was also the French national eventing champion in both 1956 and 1964.
Coaching the French and American Teams
After competing in the 1964 Olympics, Le Goff became the coach of the French eventing team. He was the first coach who was not from the army to lead the team. French riders won gold medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics under his coaching. They also won at the 1967 and 1968 European Junior Championships.
Coaching the U.S. Team
After the 1968 Olympics, Jack Le Goff moved to the United States. He became the eventing coach for the United States Equestrian Team (USET). He coached the team through eight major international championships. This included the Olympics from 1970 to 1984.
His teams won 18 international medals in total. The most famous wins were a team gold medal and an individual silver medal in Los Angeles in 1984. Le Goff had a lot of control over the U.S. eventing team. He chose the riders and horses. He also planned their training.
People said he could "identify the Team's event horses, blindfolded, merely by running his hands down their legs." This shows how skilled he was. A USET historian called him "one of the greatest coaches in three-day-eventing history." He helped unknown riders and horses win many medals.
After Coaching
After he stopped being the main American coach, Le Goff continued to help the USET. He worked at the USET Training Center for five years. He also helped develop new riders for the American team. He even coached the Canadian team for the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Le Goff also became an official judge for horse riding competitions. He judged at big events like the 1994 World Equestrian Games and the 1996 Summer Olympics. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, he helped supervise the horse riding events. He passed away in France in 2009.
Jack Le Goff's Legacy
Jack Le Goff received many honors for his work. In 1983, he was named Horseman of the Year. In 1999, he was added to the United States Eventing Association's Hall of Fame. In 2002, a horse magazine called him one of the 50 most important horsemen of the 20th century.
After he died, a special fund was created in his name. The Jack Le Goff Memorial Fund helps American riders travel to big international competitions.
Many Olympic riders say Le Goff had a huge impact on American eventing. Rider Michael Plumb said Le Goff was "very strict." He added that Le Goff "could ride any of the horses." The years he coached are known as the "golden age of equestrian sports" in the U.S.
