Gail Greenough

Gail E. Greenough, CM (born March 7, 1960) was a member of the Canadian Equestrian Team for show jumping.

Gail Greenough
Personal information
Full nameGail E. Greenough
Nationality Canada
DisciplineShow jumping
Born (1960-03-07) March 7, 1960
Edmonton, Alberta

Life

Gail Greenough was born on March 7, 1960, in Edmonton, Alberta. When she was 11 years old, Greenough started learning equestrian skills. In 1983, she joined the Canadian Equestrian Team. She had gained some experience competing at a few World Cups.[1]

Career

When she competed with Mr. T, they competed for 5 days where they produced many clean rounds. In the final, however, Greenough had to ride 3 of 4 rounds riding her competitors' horses. She rode cleanly and managed to incur no penalty points, thus taking the title and the $23,000 prize for first place. On July 13, 1986, Greenough won the 1986 World Show Jumping Championships in Aachen, West Germany, riding a Hanoverian horse named Mr T. She was the first woman, the first North American, and the youngest person to win this championship, and she was the first rider to do so with zero faults in the competition.[1] Also at the 1986 World Cup, she put on display her best show jumping while competing against 72 athletes. The odds were against her, but she finished four Finals without knocking down a rail or making any violations.[2][3]

In June of 1987, at the Loblaws Showjumping Classic, she took the victory, which qualified her to compete in the August 1987 Pan-Am Games and the World Cup competition. After these competitions were over, Greenough continued to compete for awhile with moderate success. After failing to secure a position on Canada's Olympic Equestrian Team in 1992, she retired.[1]

After she stopped competing, she provided commentary for events on CBC Sports. She became a member of the Canadian Show Jumping Team selection committee. In 2001, she made a return to the grand prix ring. She won several events. She also won the highly favored Chrysler Leading Canadian Rider Award at the Spruce Meadows Masters tournament. In 1990, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada.[1]

Honors
  • Alberta Female Athlete of the Year[2]
  • Alberta Premiers Award for Performance[2]
  • Canadian Equestrian Gold Medal[2]
  • 1983 Canadian National Equestrian Team[2]
  • 1984 Sports Federation of Canada Achievement Award[2]
  • 1986 Edmonton Sports Report Association Amateur Athlete of the Year[2]
  • 1986 TSN Female Athlete of the Year[2]
  • 1987 Alberta Achievement Award[2]
  • 1988 Edmonton YWCA Tribute to Women Award[2]
  • 1988 Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame[2]
  • 1988 Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame[1]
  • 1994 Alberta Sports Hall of Fame[2]
  • 1998 Canada Olympic Hall of Fame[4]
  • 2001 Chrysler Leading Canadian Rider Award[1]
  • 2006 Jump Canada Hall of Fame[5]

Medals
  • National Cup - Gold
  • National Horse Show - Gold
  • International Grand Prix - Gold
  • National Grand Prix - Gold
  • DuMaurier Grand Prix - Gold

Source:[2]

Personal life

Greenough has her business now, Greenough Equestrian, in Creekside Farm near Calgary, Alberta. It is a clinic where she trains and teaches equestrian skills.[1]

References
  1. Ward, Jennifer; West, J. Thomas (June 16, 2008). "Gail Greenough". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  2. "Greenough, Gail". Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  3. "Gail Greenough". Horse Riding Holidays and Safaris. 29 January 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  4. "Gail Greenough". Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website. 18 October 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  5. "Gail Greenough" (PDF). Jump Canada Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
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