Francis Davis "Frank" Chapot (February 24, 1932 – June 20, 2016) was an American equestrian who competed at six consecutive Olympic Games - from 1956 to 1976 - and won two silver medals in team

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrianism, equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, Show hunter, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including th ...

, at Rome 1960 and

Munich 1972 The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

. Chapot was chef d'equipe of the American equestrian team from 1980 to 2004, leading them to their first Olympic team gold at Los Angeles 1984. Additionally, he coached the American show jumping team from 1968 until his retirement in 2005. Chapot is also known for breeding and training

Gem Twist Gem Twist (June 12, 1979 – November 18, 2006) was a world champion Thoroughbred, American Thoroughbred show jumping horse registered under the name Icey Twist.

, a champion showjumper named World's Best Horse in 1990. In later life, Chapot became a jump course designer and judge. In 2001, he was awarded the United States Equestrian Federation's Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to horse sport.

Early life and education

Chapot was born in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

to Frank Joseph Chapot, a salesman, and his wife Dorothy Davis Chapot. Chapot was raised in

Walpack Township, New Jersey Walpack Township is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township had a population of 7, reflecting a decline of 34 (−82.9%) from the 41 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in t ...

, on his family's farm. He graduated from nearby

Pingry School The Pingry School is a coeducational, independent, college preparatory country day school in New Jersey, with a Lower School (K–5) campus in the Short Hills neighborhood of Millburn, and a Middle (6–8) and Upper School (9–12) campus ...

in 1950. He earned a bachelor's degree at the

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a Private university, private Ivy League rese ...

in 1955.

Career

Chapot spent two years serving in the United States air force. In 1956, while still on active duty in the air force, Chapot joined the American equestrian team. He often attributed his success to being chosen as a member of the Olympic team and having a good relationship with

Bertalan de Némethy Bertalan de Némethy (February 24, 1911 – January 16, 2002) Frank Litsky. "Bertalan de Nemethy, 90, Equestrian Coach." New York Times ew YorkJanuary 26, 2002. was a cavalry officer in Hungary and later became the show jumping coach for the Un ...

, the aristocratic Hungarian who coached the U.S. show jumpers more than two decades and whose role Chapot assumed during the early 1980s. He also was invited to judge at many shows in the circuit. He married fellow Olympic equestrian

Mary Mairs Mary Mairs-Chapot (born June 20, 1944) is an American equestrian. She competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics and the 1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the ...

in 1965. They were on the same Olympic show jumping team in 1964 and 1968, narrowly missing out on bronze in 1968 by 0.25 points. They retired to raise horses at Chado Farm, including the champion show jumper,

Gem Twist Gem Twist (June 12, 1979 – November 18, 2006) was a world champion Thoroughbred, American Thoroughbred show jumping horse registered under the name Icey Twist.

, who won two Olympic silver medals and was named World's Best Horse at the

1990 World Equestrian Games The 1990 FEI World Equestrian Games were held in Stockholm, Sweden from July 24 to August 5, 1990. They were the first edition of the games which are held every four years and run by the FEI. Events 13 events in 6 disciplines were held in Sto ...

in Stockholm. Gem Twist had an incredible career at the Grand Prix level. The gelding is the only horse to have won the "

American Grand Prix Association The American Grandprix Association (AGA) is a national association that promotes Olympic-level show jumping in the United States. The AGA was established in 1978 by Eugene R. Mische. Leonard King was the AGA's president from 1978 through 1999. A ...

Horse of the Year" title three times,"The Legend of Gem Twist"
. ''Chado Farms''. Referenced January 2, 2008. and is regarded as having been one of the best show-jumpers in the history of the discipline. The Chapots had the horse

cloned Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical or virtually identical DNA, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. In the field of biotechnology, c ...

and began a breeding line from the clone.

Awards and recognition

Chapot was inducted into the United States Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1994, two years after his wife Mary.

Personal life

Chapot married Mary Mairs in 1965, and they had two daughters, Laura and Wendy. Laura Chapot became a grand prix rider, while Wendy rides as an amateur jumper. A resident of the Neshanic Station section of

Branchburg, New Jersey Branchburg is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 14,459, reflecting a decline of 107 (−0.7%) from the 14,566 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased ...

, Chapot died in

Bound Brook, New Jersey Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, located along the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 10,402,

References

External links