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 during his reign.
Biography
Roycroft was born in 1946 as the second of three sons to Bill Roycroft, an Olympic equestrian gold medallist, and his wife, Mavis. He won bronze medals in team
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 ...
at the 1968 Mexico City and 1976 Montreal Olympics, competing alongside his father at both the games. He was selected for the
1980 Moscow Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...
but was affected by the boycott of the games. He was the Australian flag bearer at the
1984 Los Angeles Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...
; his father had done the same thing 16 years previously. He coached the Australian eventing team from 1988 to 2010, taking up the role from his father. his first Olympics as a coach were the 1988 Seoul Games; under his reign the eventing team won gold medals at the 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, and 2000 Sydney Olympics and a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing games, and Matthew Ryan won an individual gold medal in 1992 and
Andrew Hoy
Andrew James Hoy (born 8 February 1959) is an Australian equestrian rider. He has won six Olympic medals: three gold, two silvers and one bronze. He has competed in eight Olympic games, from 1984 to 2020 with the exception of 2008, which is a ...
won an individual silver medal in 2000. He was chairman of the
International Federation for Equestrian Sports
The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (, FEI) is the international sport governing body, governing body of equestrianism, equestrian sports. The FEI came into being following the Olympic Congress in Lausanne (SUI) in 1921 from May ...
Eventing Committee from 2000 to 2009, and also served as chair of Equestrian New South Wales and
Equestrian Australia
Equestrian Australia (EA) is the national governing body for equestrian sports in Australia. These sports include the FEI-recognized disciplines of dressage, eventing, show jumping, equestrian vaulting, endurance riding, reining, para-equest ...
. He is nicknamed "Patch".
In 1976 he married Vicki Rose, who went on to have an Olympic equestrian career of her own, and retired from equestrian competition shortly after the birth of the couple's son, Mark, in 1986. The couple separated in 2000 and Mark died in 2003 at the age of 17 after being caught in a rip off Birdie Beach in the Munmorah State Conservation Area.
Recognition
Roycroft was inducted into the
Sport Australia Hall of Fame
The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Don Bradman, Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and ...
in 1997 and the Equestrian Australia Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2000, he 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 ...
. He was made a Member of the
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...