José Maria Larocca Jr. (born 1 January 1969) is an

Argentinian Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish ( masculine) or ( feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

equestrian. His discipline is show jumping, usually individually. Larocca currently ranks two hundred and seventy-sixth on the FEI Rolex Ranking List. Larocca was a relatively late starter to competitive equestrianism, beginning his show-jumping career at age thirty-four. Larocca had ridden horses between the ages of three and twenty but left Argentina for Europe to focus on other forms of work until his love of horses returned him to the sport. His first major competition was in 2008, the Lyon Grand Prix, and when he completed the course with no faults, he was inspired to continue. Larocca has appeared twice in the

FEI 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 S ...

and twice in the Summer Olympic Games representing Argentina. Larocca received media attention when he purchased the horse Okidoki for unspecified millions with the intent of riding him in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Okidoki suffered a hamstring injury during an event in Cannes in 2010, which initially appeared to be treated successfully, but developed septic shock from surgical complications.

Biography

Larocca was born in

Wettingen Wettingen is a residential community in the district of Baden in the Swiss canton of Aargau. With a population about 20,000, Wettingen is the second-largest municipality in the canton. Geography Wettingen is located on the right bank of the Li ...

, Switzerland, on 1 January 1969. He began riding at the age of three and rode in Argentina until the age of twenty. At that age, he moved back to Europe to concentrate on other forms of work. Larocca began riding again in 2003 at the age of thirty-four after being unable to forget his love of horses. In 2008, Larocca completed the Lyon Grand Prix with no jumping faults, making him believe he could compete at the highest level of equestrianism. In 2009, Larocca came in third at the Zurich Grand Prix, sixth at the Valencia Grand Prix, and sixth at the Patrignano Grand Prix. In 2011, Larocca came in fourth at the Frankfurt Grand Prix, and in 2012 he came in sixth at the Valkenswaard Grand Prix. Larocca has competed twice in the

. He first competed in the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games for both individual and team on his horse Svante; in individual, he came in seventy-third, and he was part of the seventeenth-ranking team. He then competed in the

2010 FEI World Equestrian Games The 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games (officially the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games) were held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. from September 25 to October 10, 2010. This was the sixth edition of the games, which ...

for both individual and team on his horse Con Air 7; in individual he came in forty-first, and he was part of the twenty-seventh-ranking team. Every time he was competing for Argentina. On two occasions, Larocca has competed in individual jumping at the Summer Olympic Games. First, in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, Larocca came in fifty-eighth, not passing the second qualifier. Larocca tried again in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

and came in thirty-eighth, not passing the third qualifier. Both times, Larocca represented Argentina and rode on the horse Royal Power.

Personal life

Larocca has said that his greatest inspiration is his optimistic father, and Larocca's personal motto is "Always believe in yourself."

Horses

Larocca purchased the horse Okidoki for unspecified millions with the intention of riding him in the 2012 Olympics. The horse was already known as the mount of

Albert Zoer Albert Zoer (born 31 July 1975, in Echten, Drenthe) is a Dutch champion in show jumping. He owns his own business, called Zoer B.V., for breeding and training stallions, a venture with which his father, Arent Zoer, helps him. Background With ...

of the Netherlands, who won team gold at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games, the 2007 European Championships, and the 2007 Olympia Grand Prix in London. However, after Okidoki injured a hamstring during an event in Cannes, he developed complications from surgery and died in late July 2010 of septic shock in the abdomen despite initially being proclaimed "well" shortly after the hamstring surgery. As a result of the loss of Okidoki, Larocca instead rode Royal Power at the Olympics.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Larocca, Jose Maria 1969 births Living people Argentine male equestrians Olympic equestrians for Argentina Equestrians at the 2008 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 2012 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 2016 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 2020 Summer Olympics Pan American Games silver medalists for Argentina Pan American Games medalists in equestrian Equestrians at the 2011 Pan American Games Equestrians at the 2015 Pan American Games Equestrians at the 2019 Pan American Games Equestrians at the 2023 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2019 Pan American Games People from Baden District, Aargau

Biography

Personal life

Horses

See also

References

External links