RODRIGO PESSOA
Date of Birth: 29 November 1972
Nationality: Brazilian
Speciality: Jumping
Olympic Champion in Athens in 2004, on probably his best horse,
Baloubet du Rouet, Rodrigo Pessoa is one of the finest horsemen
of his generation in Jumping.
His father, Nelson Pessoa, had already put Brazilian Show Jumping
on the map with his move to Europe, and Rodrigo Pessoa has known
great success from an early age.
He led the Brazilian team to a bronze medal at both the Atlanta
and the Sydney Olympics (1996 and 2000 respectively). He won
the FEI Word Championships riding Lianos and has won the FEI
World CupTM Final three times, plus numerous important titles
all over the world.
Rodrigo Pessoa, who speaks six languages, lives in Belgium
where he and his father run a highly successful international
training centre and horse business. They trained the Saudi Arabian
team for five years, leading to an individual bronze medal for
the team in the Sydney Olympic Games.
