Victoria Latta (born 10 June 1951 in Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

) is a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 horsewoman

Equestrianism

Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...

 who won two medals at the Olympic Games

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

.

Latta's first major international oerformance was 11th at the 1990 World Equestrian Games

World Equestrian Games

The FEI World Equestrian Games are the major international championships for equestrianism, and administered by the Fédération Equestre Internationale . The games have been held every four years, halfway between sets of consecutive Summer Olympic Games, since 1990...

 in Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

 riding Chief. At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

 she was in the New Zealand team which gained the Silver medal. In the individual event Latta, riding Chief, knocked down one rail in the showjumping to slip to fourth place behind fellow-New Zealander Blyth Tait

Blyth Tait

Blyth Tait is a New Zealand equestrian. Tait has competed at four Olympics and has won four medals, one of only four New Zealanders to do so....

. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta Latta, riding Broadcast News, was in the team which won the Bronze medal despite a serious fall during the cross-country which caused her to fail to finish the event.

Biography

While at school Latta won a place at the Royal Ballet School

Royal Ballet School

The Royal Ballet School is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the Royal Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in London...

. She later qualified as lawyer before taking equestrianism seriously. After retiring from competitive eventing following the 1996 Olympics Latta returned to the law profession and gained a Masters Degree. She is also a member of the International Olympic Academy

International Olympic Academy

As stated on the website of the International Olympic Academy, "The International Olympic Academy functions as a multicultural interdisciplinary center that aims at studying, enriching and promoting Olympism."...

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