THE INTERVIEW
The six-time Olympian tells Bernard Bale about his “extraterrestrial” string of horses, changing nationality and his success at the boycotted Games
THE last time the Olympics were held in Paris was exactly a century ago – far longer ago than any of us can remember. Some 18 years after those Games, showjumper Hugo Simon was born. He was to become one of the treasures of Olympic history with six Games to his name, contesting his first in Munich in 1972.
“I have many happy and some not so happy Olympic memories,” he says, with his infectious sense of humour, “but, no, I was not around in 1924. I am pretty old but not that old!”
Hugo, 81, competed in the Olympics of 1972, 1976, 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996.
Why wasn’t he there for 1980? Few riders were, because the Games were held in Moscow and there was a worldwide heavy boycott. There was an alternative competition arranged though, and guess who was among the medals in that…
However, let us go back to the start. “My father was a horse dealer, so that was my first contact with these beautiful animals,” Hugo says. “I was born in Czechoslovakia but we were told to leave due to political problems, so made our home in Hesse, in Germany, where my father continued to work with horses.
“He encouraged me to ride and I think I was about eight when I started to ride properly. I took to it very well and found that I liked jumping and was entered into a few competitions.
“That was fine, I liked riding by now, I liked jumping and I liked winning, but I was still young with a lot to learn. Something I learned early on was to accept defeat when it happens. There is always another day and losing is part of learning; recognise the mistakes and move on.”
Modestly Hugo neglects to mention that he was a junior eventing champion aged 10 and also reached a high level in dressage.
“I had an excellent trainer in Josef Neckermann who was a wonderful man and a real legend in the horse world; he competed at numerous Olympics and won so many medals,” says Hugo. “He was a great trainer of both horses and riders and was very, very good for me.”
Josef played a major part in Hugo’s early career, which was blossoming at the time but they needed to make a big decision.
“I had choices but I decided to concentrate on showjumping,” Hugo explains. “I liked all the disciplines, but I think showjumping provided some different challenges. I had been advised to specialise in something, so jumping it was.”
Hugo was also inspired by other riders, particularly the D’Inzeo brothers of Italy. “They were both great riders,” says Hugo. “They won so much and knew how to
