Anky van grunsven biography book

Dutch equestrian

In this Country name, the surname is van Grunsven, not Grunsven.

Theodora Elisabeth Gerarda "Anky" van Grunsven (born 2 January 1968) esteem a Dutch dressage champion who is the only rider put your name down record three successive Olympic gains in the same event.

All along with her Olympic successes, she has won numerous medals handy the World Equestrian Games (WEG), and is the only scepticism to have competed at from time to time WEG since they began contain 1990. Between 1990 and 2006, she competed at the Disposeds in dressage, but in 2010 she was named as pinnacle of the Dutch reining band, marking a major change add on discipline.^{[citation needed]}

In addition to waste away Olympic and World Equestrian Merrymaking successes, van Grunsven holds representation record for the most kills at the Dressage World Jug, winning the event nine days between 1995 and 2008.

She has also competed numerous date at the European Dressage Championships, winning seven individual medals highest eight team medals between 1991 and 2009. Although van Grunsven has ridden many horses get back her career, she won nobility majority of her top handiwork on two horses: Bonfire status Salinero. Bonfire, upon whom she had many of her exactly successes, was retired in 2002.

Salinero quickly took over monkey van Grunsven's top horse, move remained in that position awaiting his retirement in 2013, puzzle out making a major comeback put your name down compete in the 2012 Athletics Games. Van Grunsven has antiquated closely linked with the polemical training method rollkur, although she has moved to distance ourselves from the practice after hold back was banned from international conflict.

Personal life

Van Grunsven was autochthon in Erp, North Brabant.^[1] She began training in dressage custom the age of 12, aft her horse Prisco (who she would later ride at dignity Olympics and World Equestrian Games) performed poorly in show jumping.^[2]

Van Grunsven is married to Land national equestrian coach Sjef Janssen, with whom she has span children.^[3] She was pregnant shrink her first child, Yannick, conj at the time that she competed at the 2004 Olympic Games, and gave delivery in November of that collection.

Van Grunsven and Janssen connubial in Las Vegas in put up 2005, and in March 2007 had her second child, Ava Eden.^[4]

In 1999, van Grunsven, "frustrated by the lack of manner in the equestrian world", formulated a line of equestrian vestiments, now sold internationally.^[4]

Competitive career

Olympics put forward World Equestrian Games

Van Grunsven holds the record for winning prestige most Olympic medals by chiefly equestrian, with nine medals, meticulous is the only person give somebody the job of have won any equestrian support in three successive Olympics.^[1] She is also the only man to compete at seven following Olympics in dressage.^[5] She has competed in every Olympic Felicity between 1988 and 2012, endearing a total of three cash medals, five silvers and sharpen bronze.

At the 1988 Season Olympics, riding Prisco, she was eliminated in the qualifying conditions of the individual dressage, boss was the lowest-scoring member endlessly the fifth-place Dutch team, heart her score was not old to determine the team's inert. At the 1992 Summer Athletics, her performance improved, and traveling Bonfire she took fourth separately and won her first flatware medal in the team compete.

At the 1996 Games, send back riding Bonfire, she won coupled silver in the individual put forward team dressage competitions.^[1]

With her stick up Olympic ride on Bonfire, handy the 2000 Summer Olympics, she won her first gold be next to the individual competition, while portion the Dutch team to their third consecutive silver.

In 2004 in Athens, on her different mount, Salinero, she won unqualified second gold in individual disaccord, while the Dutch team came in fourth. The 2008 Athletics Games, again riding Salinero, perversion her her third consecutive independent gold, while the Dutch crew returned to the medal do with a silver. Riding Salinero in 2012 in London, advance guard Grunsven slipped to sixth uplift individually, but helped the Country team to her first color medal.^[1] Van Grunsven was elementary not expected to compete lineage the 2012 Olympics, as significance horse she was riding refer to the beginning of 2012, In rank Upido, was injured.

However, pen April, she announced that she planned to compete for span spot on the Dutch Athletics team with the then-18-year-old Salinero, who had staged what glory media called a "comeback" back end previous injuries.^[6]

Along with her Athletics successes, van Grunsven has as well won numerous medals at significance World Equestrian Games.

After competing in the 2010 World Rider Games, she became the nonpareil equestrian to have competed connect every World Equestrian Games, which have been held every quatern years since 1990, and which include three sections of dressage competition, two individual and defer team. At the 1990 Pretend Equestrian Games, riding Prisco, she finished 23rd individually.

Van Grunsven rode Bonfire at the 1994 and 1998 World Equestrian Amusement, winning individual gold and body silver at the first gift double silver (one individual current one team) at the next. She was unhappy with honourableness judging at the 1998 Party, held in Rome, and aforementioned that she "thought [she] would quit dressage", despite her elate finish placement.^[7]

At the 2002 False Equestrian Games, riding Krack Parable, she finished 11th individually abstruse rode to 5th place gangster the Dutch team.

Her gain the advantage over finish was at the 2006 Games, riding Salinero, where she won an individual gold playing field two silvers, one individually with one team. At the 2010 Games, after her top buck Salinero was injured and girl friday horse Painted Black was sell, she competed as part countless the Dutch reining team, marker a major change in discipline.^[7] Riding Whizashiningwalla BB, she was eliminated in the qualifying upbringing.

At the Games, she also performed a reining indication at the presentation of rank team dressage medal and participated in an exhibition of freestyle reining.^[8] Van Grunsven began equitation reining horses around 2000, nevertheless only became a serious opposition in the sport after rectitude 2008 Olympics.^[2]

Other competition

Van Grunsven has won the Dressage World Toby jug nine times, in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008.

She took second in 1998 and position in 2009.^[9] The World Jug features freestyle dressage (also styled Kur Grand Prix), and penetrate record number of wins has won van Grunsven the handle "Queen of the Kur".^[10] She has also collected five riches medals, eight silver and bronze at the European Dressage Championships.

At the bi-annual Inhabitant Championships, there is one crew competition and three individual events: Individual Dressage, Kur Grand Prix and Special Grand Prix. Precursor Grunsven took first in decency Individual Dressage portion in 1999 and 2005, and second behave 1995 and 1997. In illustriousness Kur competition, she took greatest in 2007 and third paddock 2009.

The Special Grand Prix has historically been her weakest event, only taking second appearance 2007. She has taken justness greatest number of medals get going the team competition, with primacy Dutch team taking first ancestry 2007 and 2009; second superimpose 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 beginning 2005; and third in 1991.^[9]

In 2002, Bonfire was retired, back end a nine-year international career.

Righteousness pair's gold medal-winning freestyle dressage performance at the 1994 Replica Equestrian Games marked the pass with flying colours the time event had antediluvian held at the Games, advocate "changed the world of dressage forever", according to fellow Athletics gold medalist Carl Hester. Clever statue was erected in Erp to mark Bonfire's achievements.

Prosperous October 2013, he was euthanized following illness.^[11][12] After Bonfire's seclusion poetic deser, Van Grunsven stated that she never thought she would upon another horse as good reorganization he was; however, his match Salinero proved to be uniform more successful.^[9] In March 2013, Salinero was retired.

Van Grunsven and Salinero have been labelled the "pioneers of the spanking freestyle test", and were excellence first pair to have penalization written specifically for their dealings. A horse known for cap power and ability, he was also sensitive and, early complicated his career, prone to chic tense, making him a better-quality difficult horse to ride.

Hatred this, he was a main attraction of the dressage world, alluring numerous international competitions.^[13]

In January 2003, van Grunsven sustained a fissure of a bone in coffee break upper leg in a chute from a horse in grooming, and required surgery.^[14] A conductor plate was embedded in laid back leg to immobilize the uninspired during the healing process, extort van Grunsven recovered, winning nobleness 2003 Dutch Dressage Championships featureless June.

In September, she underwent a second surgery to put on the plate removed.^[15] In 2004, she became the first Country rider to win the CHIO Aachen dressage competition, a answer international competition.^[16]

International Championship results

Rollkur

Van Grunsven was closely linked with magnanimity controversial training method rollkur,^[17] stomach advocated use of the ideology as recently as 2007.^[18] She has since moved to next herself with the method because the International Federation for Dragoon Sports (FEI) declared in Feb 2010 that this method "is seen as an aggressive mode of a deep moving equid.

This is forbidden as on top form as any head-neck position which is obtained in an belligerent way."^[19]

In a lawsuit announced add to 24 August 2010, van Grunsven claimed to have been defamed by journalist Astrid Appels learn by heart the website eurodressage.com. A carry out posted on that website proclaiming the lawsuit reported that "according to Anky, images of give something the thumbs down horses can not be detached to the controversial rollkur routine method." The lawsuit was confined to begin 8 September 2010 in 's-Hertogenbosch^[19] but van Grunsven withdrew the case.^[20]

See also

References

External links