Horse who won a five-star for Britain named for Olympics for potential medal-winning nation

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Japanese Olympic eventing team: Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street have been selected
Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street at Bramham 2024.
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

A new partnership between a Japanese rider and a five-star winning horse has been selected for the Japanese Olympic eventing team for Paris 2024.

Yoshiaki Oiwa took on the ride on 2019 Burghley winner MGH Grafton Street from Pippa Funnell at the start of this year, on the understanding the horse remained in Pippa’s yard, and the pair have now been named for the Olympics. They will represent Japan alongside Ryuzo Kitajima (Cekatinka JRA), who is based with Angela Tucker, and Kazuma Tomoto (Vinci De La Vigne JRA), who is based with William Fox-Pitt. Another rider under Angela’s wing, Toshiyuki Tanaka (Jefferson JRA), has been selected as the alternate.

Pippa Roome
Pippa Roome
Magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.