Karim Laghouag

Karim Laghouag is a French equestrian widely regarded as one of the best eventers in the world. A former world number one, he was part of the French team that won gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and bronze at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He has also helped France to win bronze at two European Championships. He continues to compete at major events and is currently ranked fifth in the FEI’s Eventing Zone Rankings. He trains horses to the highest competitive standard at his stables, L’Ecurie Karim Laghouag, in Nogent-Le-Rotrou.

Laghouag was born in Roubaix in August 1975. He was trained in horse riding and instruction by his uncle, the legendary Pierre Defrance, and began enjoying success at the highest level in 2006 when finished tenth at the World Games. The following year, he topped the FEI world rankings for the first time. He experienced major European success for the first time in 2013 with a bronze medal at the European Championships, a feat he and the French team repeated two years later. In 2016, he enjoyed what is arguably the highlight of his career to date when he was part of the gold-winning Olympics team in Rio. He competed again at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, helping the team to win bronze.