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Ian Millar's Road to Beijing Goes Through Rio

July 24, 2007

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil --- Rio de Janeiro is not on the way from Canada to Beijing, but for show jumping legend Ian Millar it is. Millar is looking to equal the world record for the number of Olympic Games in which any athlete, in any sport, has competed. The opportunity to do so begins at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, with show jumping competition set to start on Thursday.

Although Millar's individual Pan American performance has no direct bearing on whether or not he can compete in the 2008 Olympics, Canada must first qualify, as a nation. Millar is part of the team that will attempt to earn Canada the right to send either a team or an individual. Then Millar's quest to compete in his ninth Olympic Games will begin.

Austrian yachtsman Herbert Raudaschl is currently the only athlete with nine Olympic starts. He competed in every Olympic Games between 1964 and 1996. Millar already holds the Canadian record, with eight starts, beginning in 1972.

The Games in Rio de Janeiro mark Millar's eighth Pan American start. At 60, he is the oldest Canadian athlete at the Games. He has won more Pan American medals than any other show jumper in history.

Pan American show jumping will begin with a speed competition on Thursday. Scores are carried forward to Friday's team final. After a day off on Saturday, scores are again carried forward to the individual medal final, which will be contested on Sunday. Millar will ride In Style, owned by Sue Grange of Cheltenham, Ontario.

If the Canadian team finishes in the top-three (excluding the U.S. who have already qualified for the Olympics) Canada will have the right to send a team to the 2008 Olympic Games. If not, Canada can earn the right to send an individual Olympic entry, by having the top-placed individual at the Pan American Games.

The equestrian events of the Beijing Olympics are actually being contested in Hong Kong, due to travel and importation requirements for horses travelling to China.

If Millar equals the record of nine career Olympic Games in 2008, he does not rule out seeking a new world record of ten Olympic starts in 2012, at age 65. "I think that would be a good age to retire", he quips.

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