Kenki Sato, a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk and equestrian who previously won gold at the 2010 Asian Games, will go to London to compete in the 2012 Olympics. He’ll compete in eventing, which combines show jumping, dressage, and cross country.
Sato comes from a family of priests and horse riders — his father is abbot of Myoshoji in Ogawa, Nagano Prefecture, and also a former Olympic rider (a member of Japan’s 1980 Olympic team). His brother is a priest who competed at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and his sister is a five-time Japanese show-jumping champion. Sato is currently on temple leave to train for his appearance in London. Click through for a video of Sato competing in a dressage event earlier this year.
