Yoshiaki Ōiwa

Yoshiaki Ōiwa is a Japanese eventing rider, born in Nagoya on 19 July 1976 and known as Yoshi. He began riding as a junior high school student and took up eventing at university. In 2001 he moved to Britain to train under Andrew Hoy and in 2009 he moved to Germany, where he trains with Dirk Schrade. He was named Best Equestrian Athlete at the Japanese sports awards in 2005, 2007 and 2011. He comes from a family of Olympians: his aunt was an international figure skater who became an Olympic judge, and his uncle won a silver medal in swimming at the Rome Games. At the 2008 Olympics he finished forty ninth in the individual eventing, and in 2012 he led after the dressage phase but was eliminated after cross country. In June 2017 he became the first Japanese rider to win a CCI three star event outside Japan, at the Bramham Horse Trials. Olympedia credits him with one Olympic bronze medal.