Olympic momentum builds for Hartpury
College
The Elite Dressage Coach at Hartpury College has been selected for London 2012 and another international team has confirmed it will use the College for pre-games training.
Hartpury Equine Academy coach Carl Hester has been selected to compete for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics. Carl, a European Championship team gold medallist and individual silver medallist, coaches the College’s Elite Academy dressage riders.
Carl currently sits second in the world dressage rankings and was named “Olympic Athlete of the Year” in December 2011, by the British Olympic Association.
On his selection, Carl said: “It’s obviously a great honour to be selected for the Olympics, it’s what all athletes work towards and I feel very privileged to be able to represent Great Britain. I am really looking forward to competing alongside my fellow dressage team who are all outstanding.”
Hartpury College Principal, Malcolm Wharton, said: “Everyone at the College is delighted for Carl. He is a great inspiration for our students and we wish him the very best of luck”.
“Hartpury’s involvement with the Olympics and Paralympics is expanding by the day. We have already seen five international teams choose Hartpury College as a training camp and our students and staff have been selected as Games Makers”.
“I am delighted that Canada’s Pentathlon Team have confirmed they will be using the College as their training base for the Olympics. A group of pentathletes, coaches and volunteers will take advantage of the 360 hectare campus and excellent facilities available to them for training, which includes a brand new modern pentathlon shooting range, currently the only one of its specification in the country.”
John Hawes, Canadian National Team Coach says, “Our arrangement with Hartpury College provides us with specialist facilities and a fantastic location for us to prepare for the Games. The College has invested heavily in its sporting facilities and has produced its own European and World Youth pentathletes and we are looking forward to training in an environment which understands our needs.”