Jump to content

Patrik Kittel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Patrik Kittel
Patrik Kittel (2018)
Personal information
Born (1976-06-10) 10 June 1976 (age 48)
Österåker, Sweden
SpouseLyndal Oatley
Medal record
Equestrian
Representing  Sweden
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Rotterdam Freestyle dressage
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Gothenburg Team dressage
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Rotterdam Team dressage
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2024 Riyadh Individual dressage

Patrik Kittel (born 10 June 1976) is a Swedish dressage rider. He was born in Stockholm. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he placed fourth in team dressage.[1] At the 2012 Summer Olympics he competed in the team dressage events and qualified for the Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle, finishing 14th.[2]

In 2024, Kittel was chosen to represent Sweden at the 2024 Olympic Games, where he placed 14th in the individual competition.[3]

Controversy

[edit]

In 2009, a video of Kittel riding Watermill Scandic using rollkur, or hyperflexion of the horse's neck during warm up at a competition in Denmark caused international outcry.[4] The horse's tongue appeared to turn blue as a result of the manouver, leading to the "blue-tongue scandal".[5] Tens of thousands of letters in protest were sent to dressage's world governing body, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), who banned the practice of rollkur after public pressure.[6][7][8] At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Kittel was pictured riding Scandic in rollkur in the warm up prior to the competition.[9][10] In response to public outcry, the FEI reported the images were taken during an "inopportune moment".[11][10][12]

In 2024, Kittel was pictured riding in competitions in Amsterdam and Neumünster where his horse's tongue was noticeably blue, suggesting his mount was in pain and had lost oxygen.[13] The FEI claimed to be looking into the allegations.[14] At the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, Kittel's horse Touchdown was again pictured with a blue tongue.[15] When asked about the incident, Göran Åkerström, the International Equestrian Federation chief veterinarian said a blue tongue was unacceptable.[16]

Personal life

[edit]

He is married to Australian dressage rider Lyndal Oatley.[17]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Patrik Kittel". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  2. ^ "Patrik Kittel - Equestrian - Olympic Athlete | London 2012". Archived from the original on 2013-05-01. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  3. ^ www.eurosport.com https://www.eurosport.com/geoblocking.shtml. Retrieved 2024-08-07. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ "At the Heart of the Matter at the 2009 Global Dressage Forum". Eurodressage. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  5. ^ McVeigh, Tracy (2010-01-03). "Olympics row over horse 'cruelty'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  6. ^ MacArthur, Jenny (2010-02-10). "Public outcry brings ban on controversial equestrian warm-up". The Times. Archived from the original on 2010-06-03.
  7. ^ Butcher, Abigail (2009-11-12). "Rollkur row under discussion by FEI". Horse and Hound. Archived from the original on 2010-09-11.
  8. ^ ""I've had hate mail" days dressage rider at centre of blue tongue row". Horse and Hound. 2009-11-06.
  9. ^ "Patrik Kittel trainiert nicht mehr mit Sjef Janssen -". St.GEORG. 2012-11-01. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  10. ^ a b StraightArrow (2012-08-05). "Controversial Photos Cast Shadow Over Olympic Dressage". Dressage-News. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  11. ^ "Rollkur: Is It Really That Bad?!". Tack N Tails. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  12. ^ Nyheter, S. V. T. (2012-08-03). "Kittel anklagas för plågeri". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  13. ^ "Patrik Kittel's horse lost oxygen: "The tongue is blue-purple"". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  14. ^ StraightArrow (2024-03-22). "FEI "Actively Looking Into" Swedish Newspaper Report on "Blue Tongue" in Horses Competed by 3 of World's Top Dressage Riders". Dressage-News. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  15. ^ "The Swede's horse had a blue tongue: "Unacceptable" | Sweden Herald". swedenherald.se. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  16. ^ "Svenskens häst hade blå tunga: "Oacceptabelt"". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 2024-08-05. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  17. ^ Kelly, Eugenie (23 March 2022). "Lyndal Oatley's German fairytale". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
Flag of SwedenBiography icon

This biographical article related to Swedish equestrianism is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Patrik_Kittel&oldid=1239232359"