Rodrigo Pessoa out to make history at Rio 2016

He may not be a footballer, volleyball player, or even a basketball player but Olympic equestrian jumper Rodrigo Pessoa deserves his own place among Brazil’s pantheon of athletes, as he is set to break the national record for Olympic appearances.

Rodrigo and the unforgotten Baloubet du Rouet in Athens 2004

He is currently level with two other Brazilians, sailor Torben Grael and table tennis player Hugo Hoyama, but as neither of them will be competing at the Rio 2016 Games, Pessoa looks set to become the first Brazilian to make seven Olympic appearances.

“I’ve gone through every kind of Olympic emotion,” Pessoa said. In 1996, a faultless performance in Atlanta earned him and Brazilian team a first podium with a bronze medal. Four years later with another bronze in the team event, he was a big favourite for gold in the individual. However, his horse Baloubet du Rouet’s refusal in the last round meant that Pessoa and Brazil went home from Sydney that year without a gold medal.

Pessoa bounced back and won silver on Baloubet at Athens 2004, which was later upgraded to gold after Irish rider Cian O’Connor’s horse, Waterford Crystal, failed a doping test. However, disaster struck in 2008 when Pessoa’s horse Rufus failed an anti-doping test in a year to forget for Brazilian equestrian. Although he missed out on a medal at London 2012, being his country’s flag-bearer in the opening ceremony was an honour and source of great joy for him.

Rodrigo Pessoa on his Olympic memories (click on cog symbol to select English subtitles)

As for Rio 2016, Pessoa expects it to be filled with even more emotion especially, this time, with the prospect of becoming a record seven-time Olympian in front of a home crowd. “When I think about this, I think about the team, the people, and the horses that helped me at every Olympic Games from the very start. It’s an individual sport but you need a big group of important people behind you that help you to arrive at that moment,” he said.
He admits that pressure at an Olympic Games is a given. “Of course competing at home always means added pressure. It will be more intense but that is part of the sport; others have been through this at an Olympic Games on home soil. Now it is our turn and we have to show that we can deal with it.”

Weighing up the state of the sport today, Pessoa admits that it has changed a lot since he made his Olympic debut as a bright-eyed 19-year-old at Barcelona 1992. “The technique has evolved. Now there are a lot more riders with a chance of reaching the podium. The preparation has changed as everything has become a lot more professional.”

Nevertheless, when it comes to who will be favourites for Rio 2016, there has been little change. “The United States, Germany, Netherlands, France and Great Britain; it is the same countries as always and if we are to be among those favourites, we have to prepare ourselves well.”

The Brazilian equestrian team, much like the rest of the country, will be preparing rigorously ahead of next year’s Games and while Pessoa is set to break his nation’s record for Olympic appearances, the veteran’s focus remains squarely on the progress of his team: “We have a team of six athletes, all six of them performing at a top level, which we are monitoring. It’s not the finished product but it has a lot of potential.”

Equestrian Schedule – Rio 2016
Eventing – 06.-09.08.2016
Dressage – 10.-15.08.2016
Show jumping – 14.-19.08.2016

Source: rio2016.com