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Five things we can learn from Edwina Tops-Alexander's career

Roar Rookie
1st April, 2017
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Roar Rookie
1st April, 2017
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On March the 28th 2017, fabled Australian showjumper and three-time Olympian Edwina Tops-Alexander has decided it’s time to call it quits – at least for a while.

The 43 year old is four months pregnant, expecting her first child with her husband Jan Tops, in August.

Tops-Alexander is fresh off an unforgettable win during the Saut Hermes show held in Paris, on March 17th. The Aussie brought home a purse of over $23,300 Euros in prize money.

Edwina has been competing in top-level showjumping for over 15 years, representing Australia at four World Equestrian Games and three Olympic games. During the 2006 WEG in Aachen, Germany, she became the first Australian to reach the individual final and ended up coming fourth.

Her career is dotted with broken records and amazing results both individually and in the Australian National Team. I have picked some of the best aspects of her 15 year career.

5. International careers are not built in a day
Edwina started riding when she was eight, after gaining an interest in horses through watching her neighbours ride. Tops-Alexander was brought up in the suburb of Turramurra, Sydney, and she didn’t come from a horse background.

After winning the 1995 Australian Young Riders Championship, Edwina decided to move to Europe in 1998, becoming one of the first Australians to do so. The young 24-year-old only intended to stay for six months, but it went better than expected.

This would be the starting point for her explosive career. “When I was a teenager, there was no internet and I didn’t know what the showjumping world was like outside Australia. I read about it in Horse and Hound, and I had to move to Europe to find out. It’s a hectic lifestyle”.

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4. Australian pride and always remembering where she came from
Let’s be honest, compared to Europe, the level of jumping here in Australia is not great. If you want to make money and go pro, you have to move to Europe and start from scratch there.

Edwina is married to Dutch coach and owner of the Global Champions Tour Jan Tops, but she has never changed her nationality, and has represented us on multiple occasions. As they say, once an Aussie always an Aussie.

3. An advocate for women’s equality
Equestrian is the only Olympic sport where men and women compete together, and equally. international competition has a good mix of male and female competitors, but it is still dominated by men.

Edwina has proved that there is no barrier between male and female competitors. In 2014, she was selected as the Magic Millions Women’s sport ambassador. “I don’t see it as men against women, I see it as horses against horses”.

2. A fantastic role model for every Australian
Everyone can learn something from Edwina’s core values that reflect her career. The choice is yours, weather it is never giving up, always putting in 110 per cent, staying positive, or being kind and always having a laugh.

She has also become a fantastic role model for anyone in the equestrian industry.

1. No matter how successful you are, always be humble
It is clear that Edwina is one of the most talented riders in the world, and also one of the richest, but she is also one of the most humble professional athletes around. Even though she has millions of dollars in prize money to her name, she is extremely down to earth and I have never heard her brag about her achievements once.

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It’s reasons like these that make Edwina a true-blue Aussie, and a fantastic athlete to look up too. Thank you Edwina for the last 15 years, and although the showjumping world will miss you in your time off, enjoy family life and get back out there soon!

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