Geoff Billington is a British showjumper who has represented Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 on a number of occasions including during the European and World Championships and at the Olympics

Summer Olympic Games

The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...

. As of Jan 2010, Geoff was ranked 13th on the Team GBR list.

Early life

Geoff Billington was born on 2 March 1955, and started riding at the age of nine year old at a local riding school. He went to serve an apprenticeship with showjumper David Bowen.

Career achievements

Geoff Billington has competed once in 1998 at the World Championships

Show Jumping World Championships

The Show Jumping World Championships, or the show jumping competition at the FEI World Equestrian Games, was started in 1953, with individual competition. In 1978 Team competitions began, and men and women began competing against one another. From 1990, show jumping was brought together along with...

, achieving a team bronze medal, and also has a European championship

European Show Jumping Championships

The FEI European Show Jumping Championships is the European Championship for the equestrian discipline of show jumping. Like most other European Championships, it is held every two years. Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals are awarded in both the individual and team competition...

 team bronze medal from 1997, although he also competed there in 1999 and 2009.

He has represented Great Britain at the Olympics

Summer Olympic Games

The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...

 in both Atlanta 1996

1996 Summer Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

 and Sydney 2000

2000 Summer Olympics

The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

 and has competed in 46 Nations Cups since 1976, with a total of 9 wins.

Billington has also won the British Jumping Derby

British Jumping Derby

The British Jumping Derby meeting or informally the Hickstead Derby, is an annual showjumping event held since 1962 at the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead in June every year, and is considered one of the premier events in the equestrian calendar...

 at Hickstead in 2007, on grey horse Cassabachus, narrowly missing out on the same title a year later to William Funnell

William Funnell

William Ross Norman Funnell is a top-class showjumper.He has been in many Nations Cup teams, but has never ridden in the Olympics. In 2006 he won the Hickstead Derby for the first time since his first attempt at the age of 17, and won it again two years later in 2008. He also won the famous derby...

.