Kevin John Freeman (October 21, 1941 – March 10, 2023) was an American

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, winning silver medals in team eventing in 1964, 1968, and 1972.

Early life

Born in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, Freeman grew up on a farm in nearby Molalla. After attending

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, Freeman developed his equestrian skills in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He competed in the

1963 Pan American Games The 1963 Pan American Games, officially known as the IV Pan American Games () and commonly known as São Paulo 1963, were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963, in São Paulo, Brazil. Host city selection For the first time, two cities submitted b ...

, earning a gold medal in team competition, and a silver as an individual.

Olympics

In 1964, Freeman competed in

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 ...

for the United States at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

aboard Gallopade, earning a silver medal in team competition and finishing 12th individually. Freeman competed again on the U.S. Team in the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

riding Chalan. Freeman had ridden Chalan only one time before the Olympics and that was the day before the team shipped out for Mexico. In spite of a torrential rain storm on cross-country which obliterated some of the take-offs and landings, the team still won the silver medal.

After competition

Freeman was inducted into the

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall. Operated by the Oregon Sports ...

in 1991, and in 2009, was inducted into the

United States Eventing Association The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is the organization responsible for organizing, promoting and adjudicating equestrian eventing in the United States. Formerly known as the United States Combined Training Association, the USEA is a 501( ...

Hall of Fame along with Good Mixture, his horse at the 1972 Olympics. Freeman lived in the

Garden Home A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

neighborhood of Portland. He died on March 10, 2023, at the age of 81.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Kevin 1941 births 2023 deaths Sportspeople from Portland, Oregon People from Molalla, Oregon Sportspeople from Clackamas County, Oregon Cornell University alumni American male equestrians Olympic silver medalists for the United States in equestrian Equestrians at the 1964 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1968 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1972 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1963 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in equestrian Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in equestrian 20th-century American sportsmen