William Fox-Pitt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids William Fox-PittMBE |
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William 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 a famous English horse rider. He competes in a sport called eventing. This sport combines three different types of riding: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping.
William Fox-Pitt has won many awards throughout his career. He has won three Olympic medals for his team: two silver medals in 2004 and 2012, and a bronze medal in 2008. He also won a team gold medal and an individual silver medal at the World Equestrian Games in 2010. In 2014, he won another team silver and an individual bronze.
He is known for winning 14 major eventing titles, called CCI*'s. He was the first rider to win five different five-star events. These include the Burghley Horse Trials (a record 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 very serious fall that put him in a coma for two weeks. But he worked hard to recover and even made it to the British eventing team for the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award in 2018 for his achievements.
Contents
Early Life and Education
William Fox-Pitt was born in Hampstead, London. He is the oldest son of Oliver and Marietta Fox-Pitt. Both his parents were also horse riders and competed in big events like Badminton and Burghley. His family has a strong connection to horses and sports.
William went to Wellesley House School and Eton College. He also studied at the Goldsmiths, University of London.
He started riding horses when he was only four years old. However, when he was 13, he stopped riding for a while because he was worried about what his friends might think. Luckily, he started riding again and became a champion!
William is married to Alice Plunkett, who used to be an eventer herself and now works as a TV presenter. They have four children together.
Amazing Riding Career
William Fox-Pitt is a true legend in eventing. He holds the record for winning the most CCI*** events, with 14 titles. He is also the only rider to have won five out of the six biggest CCI*** events in the world.
His wins include:
- Burghley Horse Trials: Six times (1994, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011)
- Badminton Horse Trials: Twice (2004, 2015)
- Stars of Pau: Twice (2011, 2013)
- Rolex Kentucky Three Day: Three times (2010, 2012, 2014)
- Luhmühlen Horse Trials: Once (2008)
He has also won many team gold medals at the European Eventing Championships in 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2009. He won individual silver medals at the Europeans in 1997 and 2005, and individual bronze in 2013.
William has represented Great Britain at five Olympic Games:
- 1996 Atlanta
- 2004 Athens (Team Silver)
- 2008 Beijing (Team Bronze)
- 2012 London (Team Silver)
- 2016 Rio
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 very serious fall during a competition in France. He was in a coma for two weeks. When he woke up, he had trouble seeing. But he worked incredibly hard to recover. He returned to international competitions with his horse Chilli Morning and even earned a spot on the British team for the 2016 Olympics.
On May 12, 2024, William announced that the Badminton Horse Trials that year would be his last. He had been competing there for 35 years!
Key Achievements and Medals
Here are some of William Fox-Pitt's most important wins and medals:
- 2024
- 13th at Badminton Horse Trials (Grafennacht)
- 2023
2nd at Maryland CCI*** (Grafennacht)
- 2021
1st at Houghton CIC** (Little Fire)
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- Team Silver at the Nations Cup in Boekelo (Grafennacht)
- 2015
- Team Silver at the European Championships in Scotland (Bay My Hero)
1st at Badminton Horse Trials CCI** (Chilli Morning)
- 2014
- Ranked FEI World number 1 eventing rider
- Individual Bronze and Team Silver at the World Equestrian Games in France (Chilli Morning)
1st at Rolex Kentucky Three Day CCI** (Bay My Hero)
- 2013
1st at Stars of Pau CCI ** (Seacookie)
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- Individual Bronze at the European Championship in Sweden (Chilli Morning)
- 2012
- Ranked FEI World number 1 eventing rider
1st at Rolex Kentucky Three Day CCI ** (Parklane Hawk)
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- Team Silver at the Summer Olympics in London (Lionheart)
- 2011
- Team Bronze at the European Championships in Luhmuhlen (Cool Mountain)
1st at Burghley Horse Trials CCI ** (Parklane Hawk) 1st at Stars of Pau CCI ** (Oslo)
- 2010
- Ranked FEI World number 1 eventing rider
1st at Rolex Kentucky Three Day CCI ** (Cool Mountain)
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- Team Gold and Individual Silver at FEI World Equestrian Games Kentucky (Cool Mountain)
- 2009
- Team Gold at the European Championships in France (Idalgo)
- 2008
- Ranked FEI World number 1 eventing rider
1st at Burghley Horse Trials CCI ** (Tamarillo) 1st at Luhmühlen Horse Trials CCI ** (Macchiato)
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- Team Bronze at the Summer Olympics in Beijing
- 2007
1st at Burghley Horse Trials CCI ** (Parkmore Ed)
- 2005
1st at Burghley Horse Trials CCI ** (Ballincoola)
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- Team gold and individual silver at the European Championships (Tamarillo)
- 2004
1st at Badminton Horse Trials CCI ** (Tamarillo)
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- Team silver at the Athens Olympics (Tamarillo)
- 2003
- Team gold and 8th individual European Championships, Punchestown, Ireland (Moon Man)
- 1st British Open Championships, Gatcombe Park (Stunning)
- 2002
- Ranked FEI World number 1 eventing rider
- Team bronze World Equestrian Games, Jerez, Spain (Tamarillo)
1st at Burghley Horse Trials CCI ** (Highland Lad)
- 2001
- Team gold European Champs, Pau, France (Stunning)
- 2000
- 1st British Open Champs, Gatcombe Park (Moon Man)
- 1997
- Individual silver and Team gold European Open Championships, Burghley (Cosmopolitan II)
- 1996
- 5th Olympic Games Team Competition, Atlanta, USA (Cosmopolitan II)
- 1995
- Team gold European Open Championships, Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy (Cosmopolitan II)
- 1st British Open Championships, Gatcombe Park (Chaka)
- 1994
1st at Burghley Horse Trials CCI ** (Chaka)
- 1990
- 4th and Team gold Young Rider European Championships (Steadfast)
- 1989
- Individual bronze and Team silver Young Rider European Championships, Achselschwang, Germany
- 1988
- 4th and Team gold Young Rider European Championships, Zonhoven, Belgium (Steadfast)
- 1987
- Individual silver Junior European Championships, Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy (Steadfast)
Images for kids
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William Fox-Pitt on Idalgo clears the Cottesmore Leap at Burghley Horse Trials, 2006
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William Fox-Pitt on Idalgo clears the Cottesmore Leap at Burghley Horse Trials, 2006
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William Fox-Pitt on Idalgo clears the Cottesmore Leap at Burghley Horse Trials, 2006
See also
In Spanish: William Fox-Pitt para niños
