SYDNEY, May 30 ? Aus?tralian Bill Roy?croft, who checked him?self out of hos?pi?tal and com?peted with a bro?ken col?lar?bone while suf?fer?ing from con?cus?sion to ensure his coun?try won an eques?trian gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics, has died aged?96.
Roy?croft, who died on Sun?day, had been injured in the cross coun?try sec?tion of the three-day event?ing com?pe?ti?tion in Rome when his horse, Our Solo, som?er?saulted while attempt?ing a jump and fell on?him.
?I was just lying there for some time and when I come to, I said ?Where?s my bloody horse?? and he was stand?ing along?side me,? Roy?croft said of the inci?dent in a 1998 interview.
?I wasn?t feel?ing any pain. You know, it was just the heat of the moment. Any?how a bit of pain?s noth?ing. I wouldn?t be wor?ried about that, you?know.?
Roy?croft, who was 45 at the time and com?pet?ing in his first Olympics, com?pleted the sec?tion and was given whisky to drink by Amer?i?can com?peti?tors before he was taken by heli?copter to hospital.
While Ital?ian doc?tors told him he would need to spend at least ?three to four days? in hos?pi?tal and had taken all of his cloth?ing, Roy?croft, aware the fourth mem?ber of the team?s horse had pulled up lame, threat?ened to leave in just his under?pants and dis?charged him?self to ensure Aus?tralia had three rid?ers in the final showjump?ing?round.
?If I hadn?t rid?den there would have been no gold, no team gold medal. Because you have to have three fin?ish on that final day to get any medal,? Roy?croft?said.
Rid?ing with one arm and dosed on painkillers, he com?pleted a clear round, jump?ing 12 fences, and won Aus?tralia their first Olympic eques?trian gold?medal.
?The show jump?ing took about a minute. Once they ring the bell for you to go, the show jump?ing itself takes about a minute,? he?added.
?Well for God?s sake if you can?t stand a bit of pain for a minute, there?s some?thing wrong with you, isn?t?it?
?We had a party that night. We did, and we prob?a?bly drank a bit too much that?night.
?I used my left hand, because my right one wasn?t ter?ri?bly good, but I seemed to get on pretty well with that left hand?then.?
Roy?croft took part in four other Olympics and com?peted along?side three of his sons, Barry, Wayne and Clarke, and won team bronze in 1968 and?1976.
At Mon?treal in 1976, he became Australia?s old?est medal?list and com?peti?tor at 61 years, 31?days.
(Report?ing by Greg Stutch?bury in Welling?ton; Edit?ing by John O?Brien; To com?ment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
Please dou?ble click on the newslink:
for more Olympics stories
Related Posts:
Source: http://mysportnews.com/sports-news/olympics/rome-equestrian-champion-roycroft-dies-aged-96-3421.php
att hines ward stana katic kat von d fortune 500 bart confucius
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.