A talented junior rider, Jean-Claude Vangeenberghe’s breakthrough came in 1987, when he won the famed CHIO in Aachen, one of the most prestigious competitions in horse jumping. This qualified him for the 1988 Olympics, where he achieved a 5th place in qualification. Due a scheduling error, he had to wait for 15 minutes on his horse before entering the final course, and his ride Piquet was cooled down and he did not finish the competition. Over the next years, Vangeenberghe established himself as a consistent top 10 rider, repeating his victory at Aachen and winning the Rome Grand Prix twice. He interrupted his career to set up an equestrian centre between 1995 and 2000, but returned and won his third Belgian championship in 2003. In 2006, he was paid to switch nationality to Ukraine, and he competed in his third Olympics for that country, in a team also consisting of two native German riders. After winning a competition in Donetsk, Vangeenberghe fell while descending from his horse. A broken vertebra caused a cerebral hemorrhage, and Vangeenberghe died on the spot.
Belgium 
Ukraine