Greg Best

This article is about the equestrian competitor and coach. For the American football player, see Greg Best (American football).
Greg Best
Personal information
Full nameGregory Alan Best
BornJuly 23, 1964 (1964-07-23) (age 60)
Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.
Medal record
Equestrian
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1988 Seoul Individual jumping
Silver medal – second place 1988 Seoul Team jumping
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1987 Indianapolis Team jumping

Gregory Alan Best (born July 23, 1964) is an equestrian competitor and coach in the sport of show jumping who won two silver medals for the United States in the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea[1] riding the famous Gem Twist. In 1992, Best suffered a fall that shattered his shoulder.[2] After this, he moved to New Zealand, where he rode for the New Zealand League, winning the World Cup Series. He has also served as a New Zealand National Show Jumping Selector, a National Show Jumping Coach and a member of the New Zealand Show Jumping High Performance Committee.[3] Best coached New Zealand's jumpers for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.[4] Between 1987 and 2003, Best also garnered 6 FEI World Cup wins. He now conducts coaching clinics in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. Along with Gem Twist, horses named Santos and Entrepreneur have been among his champion mounts.

Best graduated from Gill St. Bernard's School in 1982. He has been a resident of Flemington, New Jersey.[5]

  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Greg Best". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on November 2, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  2. ^ "Gem Twist, U.S. Star, To Take His Final Bows". Finn, Robin. The New York Times. October 28, 1997. Referenced January 25, 2010.
  3. ^ Greg Best returns to CSU Archived 2009-09-11 at the Wayback Machine, Colorado State University, retrieved January 25, 2010.
  4. ^ Show Jumpers Named to New Zealand Olympic Equestrian Team, New Zealand Olympic Committee, retrieved January 25, 2010.
  5. ^ Turmelle, Luther. "The Best; Olympic horseman returns to alma mater, displays medal", Courier News, November 19, 1988. Accessed April 7, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "When Olympic silver medalist Greg Best graduated from the prestigious Gill-St. Bernard's school here in 1982, he didn't leave on horseback. But yesterday morning, the Flemington resident returned to his alma mater that way."