‘I’m pinching myself’: eight-time Olympian hails Paris as ‘extra special’ with famous dad watching on

That Olympic feeling never gets old. At Paris 2024 Rodrigo Pessoa is participating in his eighth Games in Olympic showjumping, having won three medals including individual gold in Athens 2004, but he says “every one is special”.

“Maybe this one is extra special,” Rodrigo said after jumping clear on Major Tom to qualify for the individual final. “The backdrop, the atmosphere, not one empty seat – you have to pinch yourself.”

The 51-year-old had not contested an individual Olympic competition since London 2012, but the lure is still strong.

“This is fun!” he says. “I’ve been to a lot of shows in my life and many Olympic Games, but the Olympics is always different,” he says. “That’s why it’s the biggest thing in the sport for many athletes. You see [tennis player] Djokovic won everything in the sport in his life: 24 grand slams, $200million of prize money and he’s crying because he won a gold medal last night. That’s the Olympic effect, that you don’t get anywhere else.”

Rodrigo had extra motivation to perform well today after Brazil was ruled out of the team contest due to team-mate Pedro Veniss’ elimination.  This meant it was Major Tom’s first experience of the buzzy Versailles arena.

“[The elimination] was such a big disappointment, so I really wanted to do well,” he says. “The horse was incredible, it’s his first time in this atmosphere, and he always gets a bit fired up before he starts, but once he started he was foot perfect everywhere. He was listening to everything I asked of him and answering all the questions.

“It was a really pleasurable 75 seconds, and with the atmosphere and backdrop, it is something that I will remember for a long time.”

Rodrigo’s eighth Olympic appearance puts him one ahead of his father Nelson. At Barcelona 1992, they both competed – Nelson was the oldest athlete at 56, Rodgrigo the youngest at 19. Now 88 years old, Nelson was on site in Versailles and watching not just the showjumping. but the eventing, too.

“My dad is here, my family and my kids,” Rodrigo smiles, “the whole cheering squad.”

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Martha Terry

H&H features editor

Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.