Peter Charles, (born 1 January 1960) is an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
-
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
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 ...
who competes 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 ...
.
Originally a competitor for
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 is ...
, Charles changed nationalities to Irish in 1992. In 2007, he relinquished his status as an Irish rider and once again began representing Great Britain. He was in the British team which won the gold medal at the
2012 Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
.
Charles was appointed
Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism.
Charles reportedly sold his gold medal-winning horse, Vindicat W, to rock star
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
for his showjumper daughter
Jessica.
See also
*
2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics gold post boxes
References
1960 births
British show jumping riders
Equestrians at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Equestrians at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Equestrians at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Irish show jumping riders
Living people
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Olympic equestrians for Ireland
Irish male equestrians
Olympic equestrians for Great Britain
British male equestrians
Sportspeople from Liverpool
Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
Olympic medalists in equestrian
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
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