William Fox-Pitt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids William Fox-PittMBE |
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Fox-Pitt and Chilli Morning, Badminton Horse Trials, 2015
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| Full name | William Speed Lane Fox-Pitt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  Great Britain |
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| Discipline | Eventing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 2 January 1969 Hampstead, London, England |
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Medal record
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William Speed Lane Fox-Pitt (born on January 2, 1969) is an English horse rider who competes in eventing. Eventing is a sport where a single horse and rider team compete in three different types of riding: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping.
William Fox-Pitt has won many awards throughout his career. He earned three Olympic medals for team eventing: two silver medals in 2004 and 2012, and a bronze medal in 2008. He also won gold and silver medals at the World Equestrian Games in 2010, and more medals in 2014. He has won six team gold medals at the European Eventing Championships.
He is known for winning 14 major five-star events, which are the highest level of eventing competitions. In 2011, he became the first rider to win five different five-star events. These include the Burghley Horse Trials six times, Rolex Kentucky three times, Stars of Pau twice, the Badminton Horse Trials twice, and the Luhmühlen Horse Trials once.
In 2015, William had a serious fall that put him in a coma for two weeks. However, he recovered and was able to join the British eventing team for the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was also honored with the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2018 for his achievements.
Early Life and Family
William Fox-Pitt was born in Hampstead, London. He is the oldest son of Oliver and Marietta Fox-Pitt. Both of his parents were also horse riders who competed in big events like Badminton and Burghley. His grandfather, Major-General "Billy" Fox-Pitt, was a soldier who served in two World Wars.
William went to school at Wellesley House School and Eton College. He also studied at Goldsmiths, University of London.
He started riding horses when he was four years old. When he was 13, he stopped riding for a short time because he was worried about being teased by his friends.
William is married to Alice Plunkett, who used to be an eventer and now works as a TV presenter. They have four children together.
Amazing Sports Career
William Fox-Pitt holds the record for winning the most five-star eventing titles, with 14 wins. He is also the only rider to have won five out of the six different five-star events around the world.
His victories include:
- Burghley Horse Trials: Six wins (1994, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011)
- Badminton Horse Trials: Two wins (2004, 2015)
- Stars of Pau: Two wins (2011, 2013)
- Rolex Kentucky: Three wins (2010, 2012, 2014)
- Luhmühlen Horse Trials: One win (2008)
He has also won many team gold medals at the European Championships in 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2009. He earned individual silver medals at the European Championships in 1997 and 2005.
William represented Great Britain at five Olympic Games: 1996 in Atlanta, 2004 in Athens, 2008 in Beijing, 2012 in London, and 2016 in Rio. He won team silver in Athens, team bronze in Beijing, and team silver in London.
He was ranked the top rider in Britain for six years in a row and was ranked number one in the world in 2014.
One of his most famous horse partners was a horse named Tamarillo.
In October 2015, William had a bad fall during a competition in France. He was in a coma for two weeks. After waking up, he had problems with his eyesight. But he worked hard to recover and was able to compete again. He made it onto the British team for the 2016 Olympics with his horse Chilli Morning. He was the only rider from the 2012 silver medal-winning team who returned for the 2016 Olympics.
On May 12, 2024, William Fox-Pitt announced that the Badminton Horse Trials that year would be his last time competing at that event, 35 years after his first time there.
Career Highlights
Here are some of William Fox-Pitt's top achievements:
2024
- 13th place at Badminton Horse Trials (with Grafennacht)
2023
- 2nd place at Maryland CCI* (with Grafennacht)
2022
- 7th place at Aachen CCI**** (with Little Fire)
2021
- 1st place at Houghton CIC**** (with Little Fire)
- 2nd place at Boekelo CCI**** (with Grafennacht)
- Team Silver at the Nations Cup in Boekelo (with Grafennacht)
2020
- 1st place at Cornbury CCI** (with Centurian Bay)
2019
- 1st place at Tattersalls Horse Trials CCI*** (with Georgisaurous)
2018
- 2nd place at Blenheim Palace Horse Trials CCI*** (with Oratorio II)
2017
- 1st place at Barbury Horse Trials CIC*** (with Clifton Signature)
2016
- 12th place individually at the Summer Olympics in Rio (with Chilli Morning)
2015
- Team Silver at the European Championships in Scotland (with Bay My Hero)
- 1st place at Badminton Horse Trials CCI**** (with Chilli Morning)
2014
- Ranked FEI World number 1 eventing rider
- Individual Bronze and Team Silver at the World Equestrian Games in France (with Chilli Morning)
- 1st place at Rolex Kentucky Three Day CCI**** (with Bay My Hero)
2013
- 1st place at Stars of Pau CCI **** (with Seacookie)
- Individual Bronze at the European Championship in Sweden (with Chilli Morning)
- 1st place at Bramham Horse Trials CCI*** (with Chilli Morning)
2012
- Ranked FEI World number 1 eventing rider
- 1st place at Rolex Kentucky Three Day CCI **** (with Parklane Hawk)
- Team Silver at the Summer Olympics in London (with Lionheart)
2011
- Team Bronze at the European Championships in Luhmuhlen (with Cool Mountain)
- 1st place at Burghley Horse Trials CCI **** (with Parklane Hawk)
- 1st place at Stars of Pau CCI **** (with Oslo)
2010
- Ranked FEI World number 1 eventing rider
- 1st place at Rolex Kentucky Three Day CCI **** (with Cool Mountain)
- Team Gold and Individual Silver at FEI World Equestrian Games Kentucky (with Cool Mountain)
2009
- Team Gold at the European Championships in France (with Idalgo)
2008
- Ranked FEI World number 1 eventing rider
- 1st place at Burghley Horse Trials CCI **** (with Tamarillo)
- 1st place at Luhmühlen Horse Trials CCI **** (with Macchiato)
- Team Bronze at the Summer Olympics in Beijing
2007
- 1st place at Burghley Horse Trials CCI **** (with Parkmore Ed)
2005
- 1st place at Burghley Horse Trials CCI **** (with Ballincoola)
- Team gold and individual silver at the European Championships (with Tamarillo)
2004
- 1st place at Badminton Horse Trials CCI **** (with Tamarillo)
- Team silver at the Athens Olympics (with Tamarillo)
2003
- Team gold at the European Championships, Punchestown, Ireland (with Moon Man)
- 1st place at British Open Championships, Gatcombe Park (with Stunning)
2002
- Ranked FEI World number 1 eventing rider
- Team bronze at World Equestrian Games, Jerez, Spain (with Tamarillo)
- 1st place at Burghley Horse Trials CCI **** (with Highland Lad)
2001
- Team gold at European Champs, Pau, France (with Stunning)
2000
- 1st place at British Open Champs, Gatcombe Park (with Moon Man)
1997
- Individual silver and Team gold at European Open Championships, Burghley (with Cosmopolitan II)
1996
- 5th place in Olympic Games Team Competition, Atlanta, USA (with Cosmopolitan II)
1995
- Team gold at European Open Championships, Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy (with Cosmopolitan II)
- 1st place at British Open Championships, Gatcombe Park (with Chaka)
1994
- 1st place at Burghley Horse Trials CCI **** (with Chaka)
1993
- 7th place at Badminton Horse Trials CCI **** (with Chaka)
1990
- Team gold at Young Rider European Championships (with Steadfast)
1989
- Individual bronze and Team silver at Young Rider European Championships
1988
- Team gold at Young Rider European Championships (with Steadfast)
1987
- Individual silver at Junior European Championships (with Steadfast)
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: William Fox-Pitt para niños
