Rodrigo de Paula Pessoa (born 29 November 1972 in Paris, France) is a

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian equestrian specialized in

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 ...

. The son of fellow equestrian

Nelson Pessoa Nelson Pessoa Filho (born December 16, 1935) is a Brazilian equestrian who competed in the sport of Show jumping. He was among the first Brazilian civilians to do well in the sport, as the military had dominated it in the Brazil of that er ...

, Pessoa is considered one of the most talented of his generation, being an

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

gold medalist in individual jumping and having over 70

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

wins. He has represented Brazil at seven

Riding career

Pessoa first competed in 1981 at

Hickstead Hickstead may refer to: * All England Jumping Course at Hickstead, a show jumping venue in England * Hickstead (horse), an Olympic gold medal winning show jumping horse * Hickstead Hickstead may refer to: * All England Jumping Course at Hickstead ...

. In 1984, he claimed his first title as champion of the pony class, again in 1985. In 1988, he competed in his first

. He continued to build up his triumphant career by competing and winning many Grands Prix. In 1992, he rode

Special Envoy Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

in the Olympic Games in Barcelona for Brazil, making him one of the youngest riders to compete in the Olympics at the age of 19. In 1996, he again rode in the Olympics in Atlanta and helped Brazil win the bronze medal with Loro Piana TomBoy. In 1998, he rode

Gandini Lianos Gandini Lianos was a horse ridden by Rodrigo Pessoa. He won the World Championship in the sport of show jumping. He stands . Major achievements *1998 Rome: WEG World champion of show jumping *2000 Calgary: Spruce Meadows Grand Prix *2001 Calg ...

to be the youngest World Champion at

1998 FEI World Equestrian Games The 1998 FEI World Equestrian Games were held in Rome, Italy from October 1 to October 11, 1998. They were the 3rd edition of the games which are held every four years and run by the FEI. Events 11 events in 5 disciplines were held in Rome. ...

in Rome. Pessoa took his career further by winning the World Cup Final on

Baloubet du Rouet Baloubet du Rouet (8 May 19897 August 2017) was a horse ridden by the Brazilian show jumper Rodrigo Pessoa. He has won many international titles. Born in 1989, Baloubet du Rouet won many of the greatest international show jumping competi ...

for three consecutive years in 1998, 1999, and 2000 a feat that has to this day been unmatched. He later claimed the title and prize for the world's best rider and in addition to the Show Jumping Year trophy.He has been ranked Number 1 in the World on the FEI Rankings. In 2000, he again won the bronze team medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney, and in spite of being a favorite to win the individual tournament, wound up disqualified once Baloubet twice refused to jump. In the 2004 Olympics in Athens, he won the individual silver medal, but after the disqualification of the Irish rider

Cian O'Connor Cian O'Connor (born 12 November 1979) is an Irish equestrian who competes in show jumping. He has competed at three Olympic Games, four World Championships and six European Championships, and has attained 133 senior caps for his country. He won ...

and his horse Waterford Crystal for doping, he was awarded the gold medal in an award ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. In 2007, Pessoa won the individual silver and team gold medals at the

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 ...

, held in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro. Pessoa attracted controversy in 2008 when he was suspended by the FEI after his horse Rufus failed a doping test at the 2008 Olympic games. Pessoa was fined 2,000 Swiss francs and was suspended from international competitions for four and a half months. In 2010, he finished fourth individually and fourth with his team of Brazil at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY. In 2011, he again mounted the podium at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, with Team Brazil to collect a silver medal on HH Ashley. He was also chosen to be Brazil's flag bearer at the

2012 Summer 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 ...

in London. Not wanting to be a substitute in the Brazilian squad that would compete in the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

held in Rio de Janeiro, Pessoa skipped the games and conceded his spot to Felipe Amaral, and instead covered the Olympics as a commentator for a French television channel. In the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

in Tokyo, Pessoa only took part in the team qualifier, withdrawing from participating in the finals after his horse Carlito's Way 6 refused twice on course. In 2017, Horse Sport Ireland announced Pessoa as the new Irish showjumping team manager. As chief for Team Ireland, they won the 2017 European title in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, and in 2019 got Ireland qualified for the

2020 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

by winning the FEI Nation's Cup final. At the end of 2019, he ended his cooperation with Horse Sport Ireland to dedicate time to his family and riding career. He rides for

James H. Clark James Henry Clark (born March 23, 1944) is an American entrepreneur and computer scientist. He founded several notable Silicon Valley technology companies, including Silicon Graphics, Netscape, myCFO, and Healtheon. His research work in comput ...

and Artemis Farms in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

and

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

Personal life

He married Alexa Weeks in 2009 and has 3 daughters Cecilia, Sophia, and Luciana. In 2019 they moved to her hometown of

Wilton, Connecticut Wilton is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 18,503. In 2017, it was the sixth-wealthiest town per capita in Connecticut, the wealthiest U.S. state per capita. Officially recog ...

. He operates his business called Amethyst Equestrian with his wife Alexa from his farm in North Salem, New York just outside New York City and Wellington in the winter months. Conheça Rodrigo Pessoa, medalhista e ícone do hipismo nacional
''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

Brazil''

International Championship results

Horses

*Tinkabell-2006

Grey Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

Mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

KWPN *HH Ashley – 2000,

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

, Hanoverian *HH Rebozo – 2000, Bay,

Stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

, Mexican Sport Horse *HH Palouchin de Ligny – 2000,

Gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

, (SF) *HH Let's Fly – 1999, Bay,

, Hanoverian *HH Rufus – 1998, Bay,

, (KWPN) *HH Oasis – Bay,

, (SF). Died in 2007 *

– 1989,

, (SF) * Loro Piana TomBoy – 1985, Bay,

, (ISH) *

– 1980,

, (ISH) *

– 1987, Bay,

, (Holst) *Stardust – 1991, Bay,

, (ISH)

References

External links