Franke Sloothaak

Dutch-born show jumper Franke Sloothaak received German citizenship in 1979 after being trained by Alwin Schockemöhle. Sloothaak then participated in four consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1984 at Los Angeles. He won two team gold medals, in 1988 and 1996, and a bronze medal in 1984. Individually, his best finish was seventh in 1988.

Sloothaak won three gold medals at the World Championships, two with the team in 1994 and 1998, and the individual title in 1994, which was the greatest moment of his career. He added a bronze when finishing third in 1998. At the Europeans Sloothaak won a team bronze in 1985 and an individual silver in 1991. Nationally, he won three gold, eight silver and two bronze medals in the individual event.

In 1989 Sloothaak also won the Grand Prix of Aachen, and in 2001 the Deutsche Spring Derby. In his youth, he also won several Dutch youth titles. He was a professional rider until 2011, when he turned to coaching. He also briefly managed show jumping teams.