Nicole Uphoff

Nicole Uphoff

Uphoff at the 1988 Olympics
Personal information
Born	25 January 1967 (1967-01-25) (age 50) Duisburg, Germany
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	60 kg (130 lb)
Sport
Sport	Equestrianism
Club	FTR Mülheim, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Medal record Equestrian Representing  West Germany Olympic Games 1988 Seoul Individual dressage 1988 Seoul Team dressage European Championships 1989 Mondorf Individual dressage 1989 Mondorf Team dressage Representing  Germany Olympic Games 1992 Barcelona Individual dressage 1992 Barcelona Team dressage World Championships 1990 Stockholm Individual dressage 1990 Stockholm Team dressage 1994 The Hague Team dressage 1994 The Hague Spécial dressage European Championships 1991 Donaueschingen Team dressage 1993 Lipica Freestyle dressage 1993 Lipica Team dressage 1995 Mondorf Team dressage 1991 Donaueschingen Spécial dressage

Nicole Uphoff (born 25 January 1967) is a German equestrian who competes in the sport of dressage. She won four gold medals in individual and team competition at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics. Riding her star horse, Rembrandt, Uphoff also won numerous other international competitions, including the World Equestrian Games and the European Dressage Championships.

Uphoff first married international show jumper Otto Becker in the early 1990s, but the pair separated in late 2007 and later divorced. In January 2004, Uphoff gave birth to her first child, a son named Patrick. Long-time boyfriend Travis Morgan was the baby's father.

In 1985, Uphoff, riding Rembrandt, began to compete at events for young riders, and in 1986, the pair began working with Uwe Schulten-Baumer, a well-known dressage coach. In 1987, they began to compete, and win, at the international level. They rose to the top of the dressage world with unheard-of speed, due to Rembrandt's elegance and expression in the ring. Their rise to fame resulted in a 1988 Olympic nomination. Uphoff switched trainers four months before the Games began, leaving Schulten-Baumer to work with Harry Boldt, the German national coach.

Rembrandt and Uphoff were Olympic Champions twice, in 1988 in Seoul and 1992 in Barcelona. Both times they took both individual gold and a gold medal with the German team. The Barcelona games resulted in Rembrandt being titled a "living work of art" by one German sports commentator. During the last two years of his career, Rembrandt began to decline slightly, and he missed the team nomination to the 1996 Summer Olympics. Uphoff used her right as defending champion to compete as an individual, and they were again part of the German delegation in Atlanta, where they placed 14th. This placement was despite being pulled from competition before the last round, due to an injury, at which point they was in 8th place. Uphoff and Rembrandt also took both individual and team gold at the first World Equestrian Games in 1990. In 1993, he was injured by a kick from another horse during a victory lap at the German Championships, but recovered from the blow to take individual silver at the 1994 World Equestrian Games. The German team, including Uphoff, again took gold.