Rob Hoekstra to stand down from Team GBR
Rob Hoekstra has said he is going stand down from his role as showjumping world class performance manager in order to “take up new challenges elsewhere in the sport”.
Rob has been in the position since 2010 and helped TeamGB secure team gold at the London Olympics and the 2013 European championships.
However, he came under criticism after the World Equestrian Games (WEG) when the team failed to reach the final round — finishing in 18th place. This was Britain’s worst ever WEG performance.
It also emerged in September that two formal complaints had been made against Rob in the run up to WEG. The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) told H&H that it had ordered an independent review, but neither of the complaints were upheld.
The BEF released a statement at the time stating that Rob had its “full support”.
“There is no time for leadership change and there is no justification for it,” BEF chief executive Andrew Finding added.
“We have to work harmoniously if we are to see a repeat of the London 2012 success.”
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But, it has now been announced Rob will leave his position on 1 January and his replacement will be announced in due course.
Gordon Burton, interim world class head of performance said: “We’d like to express our sincere thanks to Rob for the significant contribution he has made to British showjumping and the world class performance programme during his time as performance manager.
“When he came into the sport in 2010 his incisive style quickly unified our athletes as a team and provided vital coaching and leadership to enable them to achieve their full potential, the turning point coming at the European Championships in 2011.
“Since then he has transformed the outcomes of the discipline to inspire a new generation and his efforts will have a long reaching positive impact on the sport; we wish him well for the future.”
Rob said: “I believe now is a good time for a new performance manager to take over to emulate and build on this success in the run up to Rio and beyond and give them adequate time to do so. They will be taking over a great team; we are reigning Olympic and European champions and have the number one in the world in Scott Brash.
“I believe the sport at performance level is in a very exciting phase. With our existing championship riders and all the new talent coming through, the future looks very bright for continued British team success.
“It has been a fantastic journey, but it had always been my goal to lead the team to victory in London and then explore other opportunities and look for new challenges within our sport. I believe this is the right time to do that.”
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Sophia Heath joined Horse & Hound in July 2013 having previously worked for the Daily Telegraph's Olympics website, CNN International and Omnisport. A Durham graduate with a Masters in journalism from City University, Sophia has evented, showjumped and hunted. Sophia left Horse & Hound in early 2015 to join an international boating website.