born january dutch champion holds record olympic medals won equestrian athlete rider record successive olympic wins event olympic successes won numerous medals rider competed began competed games named dutch team marking major change discipline addition olympic world equestrian games successes holds record wins world cup winning event times competed numerous times winning seven individual medals team medals ridden horses career won majority events horses early successes retired quickly took horse remained position retirement making major comeback compete olympic games van closely linked controversial training method moved distance practice banned international competition personal life van born began training age horse later ride olympics world equestrian games performed poorly jumping van married dutch national equestrian coach children pregnant child competed olympic games gave birth november year van married las_vegas late march second child frustrated lack fashion equestrian world developed line equestrian clothing sold internationally competitive career olympics world equestrian games van holds record winning olympic medals equestrian medals person won equestrian event successive olympics person compete seven successive olympics competed olympic games winning total gold medals bronze summer olympics riding eliminated qualifying rounds individual lowest scoring member fifth place dutch team meaning score determine team standing summer olympics performance improved riding took fourth individually won silver medal team competition games riding won double silver individual team competitions olympic ride summer olympics won gold individual competition helping dutch team consecutive silver athens new mount won second gold individual competition dutch team came fourth olympic games riding brought consecutive individual gold dutch team returned medal podium silver riding london slipped sixth place individually helped dutch team bronze medal van originally expected compete olympics horse riding beginning injured april announced planned compete spot dutch olympic team year old staged media called comeback previous injuries olympic successes won numerous medals competing world equestrian games equestrian competed world equestrian games held years include sections competition individual team world equestrian games riding finished 23rd individually van rode world equestrian games winning individual gold team silver double silver individual team second unhappy judging games held rome said thought quit despite high finish placement world equestrian games riding finished 11th individually rode 5th place dutch team best finish games riding won individual gold individually team games horse injured second best horse sold competed dutch team marking major change discipline riding eliminated qualifying rounds games performed demonstration presentation team medal participated exhibition freestyle van began riding horses competitor sport olympics competition van won world cup times took second world cup features freestyle called record number wins won van nickname queen collected gold medals silver bronze annual european championships team competition individual events individual van took individual portion second competition took historically weakest event taking second taken greatest number medals team competition dutch team taking second retired year international career pair gold medal winning freestyle performance world equestrian games marked time event held games changed world forever according fellow olympic gold medalist statue erected mark achievements october following illness retirement van stated thought find horse good successor proved successful march retired van called pioneers modern freestyle test pair music written specifically performances horse known power ability sensitive early career prone tense making difficult horse ride despite star world winning numerous international competitions january van sustained fracture bone upper leg fall horse training required surgery metal plate embedded leg bone healing process van recovered winning dutch championships june september underwent second surgery plate removed dutch rider win competition international competition van closely linked controversial training method advocated use method recently moved distance method declared february method seen aggressive way deep moving horse forbidden head neck position obtained aggressive way lawsuit announced august claimed journalist website release posted website announcing lawsuit reported according images horses connected controversial training method lawsuit scheduled begin september van withdrew case
Anky van Grunsven