Mark Todd (equestrian)

Sir
Mark Todd
KNZM CBE
Todd on Gandalf at the 2008 Barbury International Horse Trials
Personal information
Full nameMark James Todd
DisciplineEventing
Born (1956-03-01) 1 March 1956 (age 68)
Cambridge, New Zealand
Medal record
Equestrian
Representing  New Zealand
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 2 3
World Championships 2 1 1
Total 4 1 4
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles Individual eventing
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul Individual eventing
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Seoul Team eventing
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney Individual eventing
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London Team eventing
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1990 Stockholm Team eventing
Gold medal – first place 1998 Rome Team eventing
Silver medal – second place 1998 Rome Individual eventing
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Lexington Team eventing
Todd and Major Milestone at the Dairy Farm during the cross-country phase of Burghley Horse Trials 2010
Todd and NZB Land Vision during the cross-country phase of the 2011 Badminton Horse Trials

Sir Mark James Todd KNZM CBE (born 1 March 1956) is a New Zealand horseman noted for his accomplishments in the discipline of eventing, voted Rider of the 20th century by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.[1]

He won gold medals at Los Angeles (1984) and Seoul (1988) Olympics, the Badminton Horse Trials on four occasions,[2] the Burghley Horse Trials five times,[3] and as a member of New Zealand's Eventing team, he won gold medals at the World Championships in 1990 and 1998 (Rome), plus 20 or more other international events, and numerous other international individual and team titles.

In 1988, he was announced as the New Zealand Sportsperson of the year and winner of the Supreme Halberg Award.[4] In the same year, he was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.[5]

On 25 April 2011, Todd completed a fourth Badminton victory riding NZB Land Vision, becoming the oldest winner of the event.[2]

By winning his fifth Olympic medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Todd equalled the Olympic record established by Hungarian fencer Aladár Gerevich for the longest gap between first and last Olympic medals — 28 years[6] — and shares the record for second-most Olympic medals won by a New Zealander with canoeists Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald.[7] The 2016 Games were Todd's seventh, having previously competed in 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2008 and 2012. Todd is the first New Zealander to have competed at seven Olympic Games.

In February of 2022, a video emerged of Todd repeatedly hitting a horse with a branch for refusing to enter a water obstacle at a training clinic.[8]

  1. ^ "Mark Todd". The CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  2. ^ a b "RIDER BIOGRAPHY – Mark Todd" (PDF). badminton-horse.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  3. ^ "Past Winners". burghley-horse.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  4. ^ "1980–1989 Halberg Award Winners". The Halberg Trust. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  5. ^ "Inductees – Mark Todd". New Zealand Sports hall of Fame. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  6. ^ "New Zealand three-day eventers win bronze". stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  7. ^ "Sir Mark Todd overcome with emotion at prospect of sixth Olympic equestrian medal". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Mark Todd apologises for hitting horse with a branch in viral video: 'I am very disappointed in myself'". Horse & Hound. 12 February 2022.