| Michèle George | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 George at the2012 Summer Paralympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Belgian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Para-dressage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 2 January 1974 (1974-01-02) (age 52) Ostend, Belgium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Horses |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michèle George (born 2 January 1974) is aParalympic equestrian of Belgium. She won seven gold and one silver medal at theParalympic Games.[1]
She was named "Belgian Paralympian of the Year" twice: in 2014[2] and in 2022.[3]
Michèle George was born on 2 January 1974 inOstend,West Flanders, Belgium. She began riding horses in 1982, when she was 12 years old, starting onracehorses and then tryingshow jumping. She eventually met adressage rider, tried the discipline and "fell in love with it".[4]
After a horse-riding accident happened in 2008 that caused her to havehemiplegia in her left leg,[5] she started competing in grade IV para-dressage.
George competed at the 2009 European Championship, where she finished second. She then competed with hergelding Fbw Rainman at the2010 World Equestrian Games, finishing second in the individual freestyle para-dressage test.[6]
In 2012, George and Fbw Rainman participated in theLondon Summer Paralympics, where they won two gold medals in theindividual championship and in theindividual freestyle test, making her the first winner of a gold medal in para-dressage for Belgium.[5] In the same year, she also became the first Paralympian to win theEquestrala (Belgium's equestrian of the year award).[7]
With the same horse, she competed at the2014 FEI World Equestrian Games, finishing first in individual para-dressage and in freestyle.[8]
In 2016, she and Fbw Rainman won a gold medal in theindividual freestyle and a silver one in theindividual championship test at theRio de Janeiro Paralympic Games.[1]
She then went from grade IV to grade V para-dressage.
In 2021, George and her newmare Best Of 8 went to theTokyo Paralympic Games, where they won two gold medals in theindividual championship and in thefreestyle test.[9][10]
With the same horse, she took part in the2022 FEI World Equestrian Games, ending up in first place in individual para-dressage and in freestyle. In 2024, they went to theParis Paralympic Games, winning two more gold medals in the individualchampionship andfreestyle tests.[11]
George has two children and she rides horses with one of them.[4]
