HONG KONG, Jan 25: Double Olympic Champion and ‘Rider of the 20th Century’ Mark Todd said Friday he will come out of retirement to try and win a place in the three-day eventing competition at this year’s Olympics.

The 51-year-old New Zealander, who won individual eventing golds in Los Angeles in 1984 and Seoul in 1988, retired from international competition in 2000 after claiming individual bronze at the Sydney Olympics. He has now decided to try and qualify for the New Zealand team in a bid to secure his third Olympic gold. Todd said that despite concerns over the conditions in sub-tropical Hong Kong in August, he was desperate to get back in the saddle.

The Olympic equestrian events were switched to Hong Kong from Beijing because of worries over equine disease and quarantine complications.

—AFP