José Maria Larocca

José Larocca
Larocca on Tortola in 2012
Personal information
Full name	José Maria Larocca Jr.
Nationality	Argentina
Discipline	Show jumping
Born	(1969-01-01) 1 January 1969 Wettingen, Switzerland
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb)
Horse(s)	Casha vd Kornelishoeve, Con Air 7, Cornet Du Lys, Hardrock Z, Last Chance 9, Leasing, Mobily Ashkur Allah Obelix, Okidoki, Royal Power, Son of Marco, Svante, Tortola, Ukkepuk Hof Den Dries
Medal record Equestrian Representing Argentina Pan American Games 2015 Toronto Team jumping 2019 Lima Individual jumping

José Maria Larocca Jr. (born 1 January 1969) is an Argentinian show jumper.

Larocca began his show-jumping career at age thirty-four. Larocca left Argentina for Europe to focus on other forms of work until his love of horses returned him to the sport. His first major competition was the Lyon Grand Prix in 2008. When he completed the course with no faults, he was inspired to continue. Larocca has represented Argentina twice in the FEI World Equestrian Games and twice in the Summer Olympic Games.

Biography

Larocca was born to Argentine parents on 1 January 1969 in Wettingen, Switzerland, where his father was working. He was one year old when his family moved back to Buenos Aires, where he lived until age 25. He began riding at the age of three.

After a hiatus, Larocca began riding again in 2003 at the age of thirty-four. In 2009, Larocca placed third at the Zurich Grand Prix, sixth at the Valencia Grand Prix, and sixth at the Patrignano Grand Prix. In 2011, Larocca came in fourth at the Frankfurt Grand Prix, and in 2012 he came in sixth at the Valkenswaard Grand Prix.

In 2006, he first competed at the World Equestrian Games. He placed seventy-third individually and Argentina was seventeenth-ranking team. He then competed in the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games placing forty-first individually. Argentina placed twenty-seventh in the team rankings.

Larocca purchased the horse Okidoki for unspecified millions with the intention of riding him in the 2012 Olympics. The horse was already known as the mount of Albert Zoer of the Netherlands, who won team gold at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games, the 2007 European Championships, and the 2007 Olympia Grand Prix in London. However, after Okidoki injured a hamstring during an event in Cannes, he developed complications from surgery and died in late July 2010 of septic shock in the abdomen despite initially being proclaimed "well" shortly after the hamstring surgery.

On two occasions, Larocca has competed in individual jumping at the Summer Olympic Games. First, in 2008, Larocca came in fifty-eighth, not passing the second qualifier. Larocca tried again in 2012 and came in thirty-eighth, not passing the third qualifier. After losing Okidoki, Larocca rode Royal Power at the Olympics.

Larocca has said his greatest inspiration is his father. His personal motto is "Always believe in yourself."

Horses

Name	Current age	Gender	Color	Sire	Dam	Damsire	Breed	Other owners	References
Casha van de Kornelishoeve	11 years	Mare	Bay	Toulon	Vienna van de Kornelishoeve	Cash	Belgian Warmblood	Alain Jufer, Jeroen Dubbeldam, Vincent Deller, Sebastien Pellon-Maison
Con Air 7	16 years	Stallion	Bay	Contender	Fair Lady IX	Carolus	Holsteiner horse	Joerg Muenzer
Cornet Du Lys	9 years	Stallion	Gray	Cornet Obolensky	Chablis Du Lys	Champion Du Lys	Westphalian horse	Joerg Muenzer, Marco Kutscher, Henrik Von Eckermann
Hardrock Z	10 years	Stallion	Bay	Heartbreaker	Carte Blanche Z	Carthago	Zangersheide	Vladimir Tuganov, Rene Tebbel
Last Chance 9	18 years	Gelding	Bay	Liberio H	Golden Lady	Grosso Z	Hanoverian horse	Mohammed Kahlid Al Attiyah, Khalid Al Emadi, Salmen Al Suwaidi
Leasing	13 years	Gelding	Chestnut	Lordanos	Rabano	Raphael	Hanoverian horse	Marco Kutscher, Gonzalo Añón Suarez, Manual Añon
Mobily Ashkur Allah Obelix	17 years	Gelding	Bay	Burggraaf	Jelzerina	Nimmerdor	Dutch Warmblood	Prince Abdullah Bin Metab Al Saud, Bernardo Alves
Okidoki	14 years (at death)	Gelding	Bay	Jodokus	Kentucky	Topas	Dutch Warmblood	Albert Zoer
Royal Power	16 years	Gelding	Bay	Pionier	IMKE	Nimmerdor	Dutch Warmblood	none
Son of Marco	21 years	Gelding	Bay	Irco Marco	Twink's Delight	Never Slip	Swedish Warmblood	Luciana Diniz
Svante	17 years	Gelding	Bay	Hand in Glove XX	Attraktiv	Little Boy	Yorkshire Sport Horse	Serge Varsano
Tortola	11 years	Gelding	Gray	Vigo d'Arsouilles	Bo S	Zeus	Belgian Warmblood	Laura Kraut, Nick Skelton
Ukkepuk Hof Den Dries	16 years	Gelding	Chestnut	Darco	Riona Hof Den Dries	Chin Chin	Belgian Warmblood	Lara Postillon

External links

• José María Larocca (Jr) (and here) at FEI
• Jose Maria Larocca (Jr) at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
• Jose Maria Larocca at Olympics.com
• José Maria Larocca at Olympedia
• José María Larocca (2012) at the Comité Olímpico Argentino (in Spanish)
• José María Larocca (2016) at the Comité Olímpico Argentino (in Spanish)
• José María Larocca (2020) at the Comité Olímpico Argentino (in Spanish)