THE SPORTS DESK
Fauquier’s O’Connor, Orange’s Coleman on Olympic equestrian team
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Fauquier County equestrian Karen O’Connor was named to her fifth U.S. Olympic team Monday, and Orange County resident Will Coleman to his first.
O’Connor, a two-time Olympic medalist, will compete in Eventing in London next month aboard Mr. Medicott. She was one of five riders named Monday by the U.S. Equestrian Federation following a series of qualifying competitions.
O’Connor, 54, won a team silver medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, along with her husband, David. She also was a member of the U.S’s bronze medal-winning team at the 2000 Games in Seoul. She was also a member of the 1988 and 2008 U.S. Olympic teams.
Coleman, 29, is a former Under-25 international champion and a University of Virginia graduate. He runs a business out of his parents’ Tivoli Farm in Gordonsville.
He will ride Twizzel in London. The pair placed fifth at the prestigious Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event this spring.
The appointments are subject to approval by the U.S. Equestrian Team’s executive committee and the U.S. Olympic Committee’s board of directors.
