Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...
) is an
equestrian
The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse".
Horseback riding (or Riding in British English)
Examples of this are:
* Equestrian sports
*Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...
competitor and coach in the sport of
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 ...
who won two silver medals for the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
riding the famous
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.
. In 1992, Best suffered a fall that shattered his shoulder."Gem Twist, U.S. Star, To Take His Final Bows" Finn, Robin. ''The New York Times''. October 28, 1997. Referenced January 25, 2010. After this, he moved to New Zealand, where he rode for the New Zealand League, winning the World Cup Series. He has also served as a New Zealand National Show Jumping Selector, a National Show Jumping Coach and a member of the New Zealand Show Jumping High Performance Committee. Best coached New Zealand's jumpers for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
wins. He now conducts coaching clinics in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. Along with Gem Twist, horses named Santos and Entrepreneur have been among his champion mounts.
Best graduated from
Gill St. Bernard's School
Gill St. Bernard's School is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational, college preparatory day school located in the Gladstone, New Jersey, Gladstone section of Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey, Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey, United States, serving s ...
Courier News
The ''Courier News'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Somerville, New Jersey, that serves Somerset County and other areas of Central Jersey. The paper has been owned by Gannett since 1927.
Notable employees
* John Curley, former pre ...
'', November 19, 1988. Accessed April 7, 2021, via
Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites.
In November 2018, ...
. "When Olympic silver medalist Greg Best graduated from the prestigious Gill-St. Bernard's school here in 1982, he didn't leave on horseback. But yesterday morning, the Flemington resident returned to his alma mater that way."
Accomplishments
* 1984 – Won the North American Young Rider Championships
* 1985 –
USET
The United States Equestrian Team (USET) refers to the American national teams in Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines of horse sport. US Equestrian, the governing body of horse sport in the United States, selects, trains and funds the teams. The O ...
Talent Derby
* 1986 – USET Foundation Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Memorial Award
* 1987 –
American Grand Prix Association
The American Grandprix Association (AGA) is a national association that promotes Olympic-level show jumping
Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitatio ...
Champion, Grand Prix of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, Grand Prix of
Tampa
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...
* 1987 – Team silver
Pan American Games
The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...
* 1988 – Individual and team silver for show jumping in Seoul Summer Olympic Games
* 1990 – Final four in the
World Equestrian Games
The FEI World Equestrian Games are the major international championships for equestrianism, and are administered by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). The games have been held every four years, halfway between sets of consecutive ...
* 2001/2002 season – winner FEI World Cup Jumping – Pacific League – New Zealand