Jo Pitt (22 February 1979 – 2 May 2013) was a Scottish equestrian
Paralympian
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
.
Early life
Pitt came from
Huntly, Aberdeenshire
Huntly ( gd, Srath Bhalgaidh or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlement ...
, and studied at
Oatridge College,
West Lothian. She had right-sided
hemiplegic
Hemiparesis, or unilateral paresis, is weakness of one entire side of the body ('' hemi-'' means "half"). Hemiplegia is, in its most severe form, complete paralysis of half of the body. Hemiparesis and hemiplegia can be caused by different medic ...
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sens ...
.
Career
Pitt represented
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
at the
2004 Athens Paralympics. She won
British Dressage
British Dressage is the organisation which oversees all affiliated dressage competitions and training in the United Kingdom. British Dressage is a member of the British Equestrian Federation.
In addition to the usual dressage competitions, Brit ...
's winter championship title in April 2013. She was in the para-equestrian dressage team that won gold at the 2010 World Equestrian Games.
Death
Pitt died 2 May 2013. She had been living with pulmonary
veno-occlusive disease
Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) or veno-occlusive disease with immunodeficiency is a potentially life-threatening condition in which some of the small veins in the liver are obstructed. It is a complication of high-dose chemotherapy given bef ...
. She had recently moved to
Dereham, Norfolk
Dereham (), also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the Breckland District of the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, about 15 miles (25 km) west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles (40&nb ...
to live with her fiancé, Rory.
References
1979 births
2013 deaths
People from Huntly
People from Dereham
Equestrians at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
Paralympic equestrians of Great Britain
Sportspeople with cerebral palsy
Scottish disabled sportspeople
Sportspeople from Aberdeenshire
Alumni of Scotland's Rural College
{{UK-equestrian-bio-stub