Wayne William Roycroft, (born 21 May 1946) is an Australian equestrian and coach who won two bronze medals at three Olympics. He was the national eventing coach from 1988 to 2010; Australia won four team and two individual medals in the sport during his reign.
Biography
Roycroft was born in 1946 as the second of three sons to
Bill Roycroft
James William George Roycroft, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE (17 March 1915 – 29 May 2011) was an Australian Olympic equestrianism, equestrian champion. He grew up on a dairy farm and learnt to ride horses there. After servi ...
, an Olympic equestrian gold medallist, and his wife, Mavis. He won bronze medals in team
eventing
Eventing (also known as three day eventing or horse trials) is an equestrian event where a single horse and rider combine and compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. Thi ...
at the 1968 Mexico City and 1976 Montreal Olympics, competing alongside his father at both the games. He was selected for the
1980 Moscow Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...
but was affected by the boycott of the games. He was the Australian flag bearer at the
1984 Los Angeles Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
; his father had done the same thing 16 years previously. He coached the Australian eventing team from 1988 to 2010, taking up the role from his father. his first Olympics as a coach were the 1988 Seoul Games; under his reign the eventing team won gold medals at the 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, and 2000 Sydney Olympics and a silver medal at the
2008 Beijing
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
games, and Matthew Ryan won an individual gold medal in 1992 and
Andrew Hoy
Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...
won an individual silver medal in 2000. He was chairman of the
International Federation for Equestrian Sports
The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (, FEI) is the international governing body of equestrian sports.
The FEI headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland. An FEI code of conduct protects the welfare of the horses from physical abu ...
Eventing Committee from 2000 to 2009, and also served as chair of Equestrian New South Wales and
Equestrian Australia
Equestrian Australia (EA) is the national governing body for equestrian sports in Australia. These sports include the FEI-recognized disciplines of dressage, eventing, show jumping, equestrian vaulting, endurance riding, reining, para-equestria ...
. He is nicknamed "Patch".
In 1976 he married Vicki Rose, who went on to have an Olympic equestrian career of her own, and retired from equestrian competition shortly after the birth of the couple's son, Mark, in 1986. The couple separated in 2000 and Mark died in 2003 at the age of 17 after being caught in a
rip
Rest in peace (RIP), a phrase from the Latin (), is sometimes used in traditional Christian services and prayers, such as in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist denominations, to wish the soul of a decedent eternal rest and peace.
...
off Birdie Beach in the
Munmorah State Conservation Area
Munmorah State Conservation Area is located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The area's coastal setting and panoramic views, perched sand dunes, diverse vegetation communities, protected threatened species and migratory bird h ...
.
Recognition
Roycroft was inducted into the
Sport Australia Hall of Fame
The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...
in 1997 and the Equestrian Australia Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2000, he received an
Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...
. He was made a Member of the
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...