Greg Best Explained

Greg Best
Fullname:	Gregory Alan Best
Birth Place:	Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.
Headercolor:	lightsteelblue
Show-Medals:	yes

Gregory Alan Best (born July 23, 1964) is an equestrian competitor and coach in the sport of show jumping who won two silver medals for the United States in the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea^[1] riding the famous Gem Twist. In 1992, Best suffered a fall that shattered his shoulder.^[2] After this, he moved to New Zealand, where he rode for the New Zealand League, winning the World Cup Series. He has also served as a New Zealand National Show Jumping Selector, a National Show Jumping Coach and a member of the New Zealand Show Jumping High Performance Committee.^[3] Best coached New Zealand's jumpers for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.^[4] Between 1987 and 2003, Best also garnered 6 FEI World Cup wins. He now conducts coaching clinics in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. Along with Gem Twist, horses named Santos and Entrepreneur have been among his champion mounts.

Best graduated from Gill St. Bernard's School in 1982. He has been a resident of Flemington, New Jersey.^[5]

Accomplishments

• 1984 – Won the North American Young Rider Championships
• 1985 – USET Talent Derby
• 1986 – USET Foundation Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Memorial Award
• 1987 – American Grand Prix Association Champion, Grand Prix of Florida, Grand Prix of Tampa
• 1987 – Team silver Pan American Games
• 1988 – Individual and team silver for show jumping in Seoul Summer Olympic Games
• 1990 – Final four in the World Equestrian Games
• 2001/2002 season – winner FEI World Cup Jumping – Pacific League – New Zealand

Notes and References

1. Greg Best . January 25, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091102092959/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/greg-best-1.html . November 2, 2009 .
2. https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E1DA1431F93BA15753C1A961958260 "Gem Twist, U.S. Star, To Take His Final Bows"
3. http://equinescience.colostate.edu/content/view/175/69/ Greg Best returns to CSU
4. http://www.nzoc.co.nz/Article.aspx?UsePopup=&Mode=1&ID=6016 Show Jumpers Named to New Zealand Olympic Equestrian Team
5. Turmelle, Luther. "The Best; Olympic horseman returns to alma mater, displays medal", Courier News, November 19, 1988. Accessed April 7, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "When Olympic silver medalist Greg Best graduated from the prestigious Gill-St. Bernard's school here in 1982, he didn't leave on horseback. But yesterday morning, the Flemington resident returned to his alma mater that way."