Victoria Roycroft (née Rose, born 17 April 1953) is an Australian

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

who competed at three

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

. She was born in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. At the 1984 Games she competed in the

three-day eventing Eventing (also known as three-day eventing or horse trials) is an equestrian event where the same horse and rider combination compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This ...

, whereas at the

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

and 1996 Games she competed in the

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

. She also coached at the 1992 Games. In 1987, Roycroft, on her horse Apache, won the Rome Grand Prix, the first Australian and first woman to do so. She was married to fellow triple Olympian

Wayne Roycroft Wayne William Roycroft, (born 21 May 1946) is an Australian equestrian and coach who won two bronze medals at three Olympics. He was the national eventing coach from 1988 to 2010; Australia won four team and two individual medals in the sport ...

from 1976 until their separation in 2000. The couple's son Mark died in 2003 at the age of 17 after being caught in a

rip To rip is the act of tearing an object. Rip may also refer to: Places * Nioro du Rip, a town in the southern Kaolack Region of Senegal * 7711 Říp, an asteroid * Rip Bridge, New South Wales Australia * Říp, a mountain in the Czech Republic ...

off Birdie Beach in the

Munmorah State Conservation Area Munmorah State Conservation Area is located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The area's coastal setting and panoramic views, perched sand dunes, diverse vegetation communities, protected threatened species and migratory bird h ...

. On 15 April 2023, she reportedly had a heart attack while preparing for a show-jumping competition at the

Sydney Royal Easter Show The Sydney Royal Easter Show, commonly shortened to The Easter Show or The Show, is an annual show held in Sydney, Australia over two weeks around the Easter period. First held in 1823, it comprises an agricultural show, an amusement park and a ...

. In 2000, she received an

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, off ...

References

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* * * o 1953 births Australian female equestrians Living people Olympic equestrians for Australia Equestrians at the 1984 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1988 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1996 Summer Olympics Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Equestrians from Sydney Sportswomen from New South Wales 20th-century Australian sportswomen {{Australia-equestrian-bio-stub