DESLAURIERS Mario

General
SWITCHING NATIONALITY
He initially represented Canada at international level, including at the Olympic Games in 1984 and 1988. In 2009 he switched to compete for the United States of America after being recruited by US owner Jane Clark. In 2017 he chose to change back to representing Canada. "Equestrian sports are very hard to make a living at, because they are extremely expensive. It wasn't until 2008 that I found myself struggling for financial support in this equestrian world. It was at this time that I was offered an opportunity which included finding a few horses to bring to the championship level and represent the United States of America. This was a hard decision. I thought long and hard, but I had been missing the opportunity to ride at the highest level in our sport, so I jumped at it. A few years passed and though the horses I selected were proving my judgement correct, I was eventually replaced with another rider. Always at heart, I was a Canadian. It feels like the right way to finish my career [switching back]." (cbc.ca, 08 Sep 2017; theglobeandmail.com, 05 Sep 2017)

In 1984 he became the first Canadian and the youngest jumper [at the time] to win the World Cup Final, claiming victory in Gothenburg, Sweden, at age 19 years and 60 days. (hamptonclassic.com, 11 Aug 2019; SportsDeskOnline, 04 Nov 2017; theglobeandmail.com, 05 Sep 2017)