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Anky van Grunsven, Dutch dressage rider
12 January, 2010
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Anky van Grunsven, born on 2 January 1968, is a Dutch
dressage rider.
She has won an astonishing eight Olympic medals, a feat only recently matched by German rider Isabell Werth.
Her most well known equine partners are Bonfire, who retired in 2000, and her current top horse, Salinero.
A rider from an early age, Anky became interested in dressage when she used it to help control the power of her first show jumping horse, Prisco.
Prisco went on to became her first Olympic dressage horse at Seoul in 1988 and Anky's conversion to dressage was absolute.
Anky became Dutch champion for the first time in 1990, a feat she has repeated 12 times since.
Anky is married to her trainer, Sjef Janssen, and has two children, Yannick and Ava Eden.
Sjef and Anky have formed a formidable partnership, coaching other riders up to grand prix level at their yard in the Netherlands. Anky also teaches clinics abroad.
In April 2009, Anky and Painted Black were beaten into second place at the World Cup final grand prix kür in Las Vegas by American rider Steffen Peters.
Salinero, her top horse and 2008 winner, was absent after being denied a wild card entry.
Anky van Grunsven videos
Anky's major achievements
• Has won a total of eight medals at the Olympic Games
• Won gold at the last three Olympic Games
• Part of the 2005 Dutch Nations Cup team in Aachen that stripped Germany of their world leader title in dressage
• Twice world champion
• Four-times European champion
• 13 times Dutch national champion
• Nine-times winner of the World Cup finals
• Honoured as sportswoman of the year in the Netherlands in 1994
Anky van Grunsven pictures
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Related articles:
- Reining crowned the 'fastest growing horse sport'
- Anky van Grunsven moves up to Dutch WEG reining team
- Anky van Grunsven's Painted Black sold to Spanish rider
- Anky van Grunsven out of World Equestrian Games
- Top riders speak out in this week's Horse & Hound
- Anky van Grunsven's Salinero still recovering from injury
- Anky van Grunsven's top horse Salinero injured
- Anky van Grunsven to miss World Cup dressage final
- Anky van Grunsven to contest Hickstead dressage international
- Anky van Grunsven will not compete at Olympia