体坛英语新闻：Australian equestrian legend Bill Roycroft dies at 96

CANBERRA, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Australian equestrian Bill Roycroft, a five-time Olympic champion, has died on Sunday aged 96 in Victoria's south-west, ABC Sports reported on Monday.

Roycroft, who was Australia's oldest surviving Olympian, won gold medal in the team three-day event at the 1960 Rome Games, riding in his first Olympics at the age of 45.

Roycroft is the patriarch of the prominent Australian equestrian family, with his three songs: Barry, Wayne and Clarke, all rode at the Olympics.

According to Equestrian Australia chief executive officer Grant Baldock, the equestrian community had lost a great hero and pioneer of the sport.

"His family's contribution to the sport of equestrian is uNPRecedented," Baldock told ABC Sports on Monday.

"He was a legend. The term does get thrown out lightly at different times but he was certainly a legend in our sport and Australian sport.

"He was one of the pioneers for what we have today in our sport in Australia."

The Australian Olympic Committee said after his first Olympic gold media, Roycroft competed in four more Olympics.

Roycroft became Australia's oldest medalist and oldest competitor at 61, when he won the bronze medal at the Montreal Games.

He was awarded the Australian Olympic Committee's Order of Merit in 1978 and was one of eight of Australia's greatest Olympians selected to carry the Olympic flag into the stadium as part of the opening ceremony for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

He also carried the Australian flag at the Mexico City opening ceremony in 1968.

Before his death, Roycroft had been in hospital for just over a week, suffering an undisclosed illness.

His family will hold a private funeral this week, to be followed by a public celebration of his life.