Virginia Elliott

{{short description|British equestrian}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} {{MedalTableTop}} {{MedalSport | [[Equestrianism|Equestrian]]}} {{MedalCountry | {{GBR2}} }} {{MedalOlympic}} {{MedalSilver|[[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]]|[[Equestrian at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Team eventing|Team eventing]]}} {{MedalSilver|[[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]]|[[Equestrian at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Team eventing|Team eventing]]}} {{MedalBronze|[[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]]|[[Equestrian at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Individual eventing|Individual eventing]]}} {{MedalBronze|[[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]]|[[Equestrian at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Individual eventing|Individual eventing]]}} {{MedalCompetition|[[Eventing World Championship|World Championships]]}} {{MedalGold|[[Eventing World Championship|1982 Luhmühlen]]|Team eventing}} {{MedalGold|[[Eventing World Championship|1986 Gawler]]|Individual eventing}} {{MedalGold|[[Eventing World Championship|1986 Gawler]]|Team eventing}} {{MedalSilver|[[Eventing World Championship|1990 Stockholm]]|Team eventing}} {{MedalCompetition|[[European Eventing Championships|European Championships]]}} {{MedalGold|[[European Eventing Championship|1981 Horsens]]|Team eventing}} {{MedalGold|[[European Eventing Championship|1985 Burghley]]|Individual eventing}} {{MedalGold|[[European Eventing Championship|1985 Burghley]]|Team eventing}} {{MedalGold|[[European Eventing Championship|1987 Luhmühlen]]|Individual eventing}} {{MedalGold|[[European Eventing Championship|1987 Luhmuhlen]]|Team eventing}} {{MedalGold|[[European Eventing Championship|1989 Burghley]]|Individual eventing}} {{MedalGold|[[European Eventing Championship|1989 Burghley]]|Team eventing}} {{MedalSilver|[[European Eventing Championship|1983 Frauenfeld]]|Team eventing}} {{MedalBottom}} '''Virginia Helen Antoinette Elliott''' [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (née '''Holgate''', formerly '''Leng'''; born 1 February 1955<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417232548/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ho/virginia-holgate-leng-1.html sports-reference.com bio] Accessed 30 October 2008</ref>), sometimes known as '''Ginny Leng''', is a [[Great Britain|British]] [[equestrianism|equestrian]] competitor who competed in [[eventing]]. She is the 1986 [[Eventing World Championship|World Champion]] and three-time Individual [[European Eventing Championship|European Champion]] (1985, 1987, 1989). She also won two World team golds (1982 and 1986) and four European team golds (1981, 1985–89). A four-time [[List of Olympic medalists in equestrian|Olympic medallist]], she won Individual bronze and team silver in both 1984 and 1988. From 2008 to 2013, she was the manager of the Irish eventing team.

She was appointed [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[1986 Birthday Honours]] "for services to Riding."<ref>United Kingdom list: {{London Gazette |date=13 June 1986 |supp=y |issue=50551 |pages=13 }}</ref>

==Major wins/ Significant Horses== World and European titles: *1985 European champion – [[Priceless (horse)|Priceless]] *1986 World champion – Priceless *1987 European champion – Night Cap II *1989 European champion – Master Craftsman [[Badminton Horse Trials]]: *1985 – Priceless, *1989 – Master Craftsman, *1993 – Welton Houdini [[Burghley Horse Trials]]: *1983 – Priceless, *1984 – Night Cap II, *1985 – Priceless, *1986 – [[Murphy Himself]] *1989 – Master Craftsman (first person to win Burghley five times) *HORSES *Priceless *Night cap *Murphy Himself *Master Craftsman *Dubbonet *Ballyhack *Griffin *Welton Houdini

==Personal life== Born Virginia Holgate and raised in [[Malta]], she married Hamish Leng in 1985. The couple divorced in 1989. In 1993, she married Michael Elliott. Her horses Night Cap II and [[Priceless (horse)|Priceless]], were by the eventing stallion [[Ben Faerie]]. Since the 1980s, she has written several books.<ref>British Library</ref>

In 1987, she participated in [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Edward]]'s charity television special ''[[The Grand Knockout Tournament]]''.

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{European champions – Equestrian individual eventing}} {{European champions – Equestrian team eventing}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Virginia}} [[Category:1955 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:British event riders]] [[Category:Olympic equestrians for Great Britain]] [[Category:British female equestrians]] [[Category:Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain]] [[Category:Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain]] [[Category:Equestrians at the 1984 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Equestrians at the 1988 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Equestrians at the 1992 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Olympic medalists in equestrian]] [[Category:Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]