Wayne's Story
Triple Olympian Wayne Roycroft is part of one of Australia’s most celebrated Olympic dynasties. The son of Olympic champion Bill Roycroft, Wayne represented Australia in eventing at the Mexico City 1968, Montreal 1976 and Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games, winning two team bronze medals.
Roycroft made his Olympic debut at 22, riding Zhivago at Mexico City. He placed eighth individually and combined with Bill, Brian Cobcroft and James Scanlon to secure the team bronze medal. Wayne and Bill became the first father and son to compete together in an Olympic team. At Montreal 1976, Roycroft rode Laurenson to fifth place individually. He earned his second team bronze alongside Bill, Merv Bennett and Denis Pigott, with Australia finishing behind the United States and West Germany.
Roycroft was selected for the Moscow 1980 Australian Olympic Team, but Australia’s equestrian federation did not send athletes to the Games during the boycott. He instead competed at the alternative eventing competition held at Fontainebleau, France, where Australia claimed the team bronze medal. The Fontainebleau event was one of several international equestrian competitions organised for nations that did not compete in Moscow.
Roycroft returned for his third Olympics at Los Angeles 1984, where he carried the Australian flag during the opening ceremony, following Bill, who had received the same honour in 1968. Riding Regal Monarch, Roycroft was eliminated after taking a wrong turn during the steeplechase section, while Australia placed fifth in the team competition.
After retiring from competition, Roycroft became one of Australia’s most successful eventing coaches. He coached the Australian teams that won three consecutive Olympic gold medals at Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, and later guided Australia to team silver at Beijing 2008. In 2014, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to equestrian sport as a competitor, coach and administrator.
