André le Goupil

André le Goupil was a French equestrian. Le Goupil’s father had a large farm in Moon-sur-Elle, Normandy, with almost 100 horses. Le Goupil took up horse riding in 1961 and became the French champion. This resulted in him being selected as a substitute rider for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, but he would ultimately not compete in Japan. His selection was unusual as he was a civilian, with all but one of France’s previous Olympic equestrians coming from a military background.

Le Goupil would only have to wait four years to make his Olympic début when he rode at the 1968 Mexico City Games. He finished in 12th place in the individual competition, and just missed out on a medal in the team competition with France finishing in fourth place.

After finishing his career, Le Goupil set up an equestrian centre near to Cherbourg, and founded the international competition le Grand Complet. One of his sons, Pierre, was selected as the course designer for the equestrian events for the 2024 Paris Olympics.