José Maria Larocca
Argentinian equestrian / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
José Maria Larocca Jr. (born 1 January 1969) is an Argentinian equestrian. His discipline is show jumping, usually individually. Larocca currently ranks two hundred and seventy-sixth on the FEI Rolex Ranking List.[1]
José Larocca | |
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Larocca on Tortola in 2012 | |
Personal information | |
Full name | José Maria Larocca Jr. |
Nationality | ![]() |
Discipline | Show jumping |
Born | (1969-01-01) 1 January 1969 (age 55) Wettingen, Switzerland |
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Weight | 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb) |
Horse(s) | Casha vd Kornelishoeve, Con Air 7, Cornet Du Lys, Hardrock Z, Last Chance 9, Leasing, Mobily Ashkur Allah Obelix, Okidoki, Royal Power, Son of Marco, Svante, Tortola, Ukkepuk Hof Den Dries |
Medal record |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/CSIYH_Jose_Maria_%28jr.%29_Larocca_auf_Hilary_van_T_Paradijs_1.jpg/640px-CSIYH_Jose_Maria_%28jr.%29_Larocca_auf_Hilary_van_T_Paradijs_1.jpg)
Larocca was a relatively late starter to competitive equestrianism, beginning his show-jumping career at age thirty-four.[2] Larocca had ridden horses between the ages of three and twenty but left Argentina for Europe to focus on other forms of work until his love of horses returned him to the sport.[2] His first major competition was in 2008, the Lyon Grand Prix, and when he completed the course with no faults, he was inspired to continue.[2] Larocca has appeared twice in the FEI World Equestrian Games and twice in the Summer Olympic Games representing Argentina.
Larocca received media attention when he purchased the horse Okidoki for unspecified millions with the intent of riding him in the 2012 Summer Olympics.[3] Okidoki suffered a hamstring injury during an event in Cannes in 2010, which initially appeared to be treated successfully, but developed septic shock from surgical complications.[4]