‘Live every day like it’s your last’: meet the plane crash survivor who has ridden at three Olympics

“I never think that something bad can happen to me – the place I sleep the best is on a plane,” says Mexican showjumper Federico Fernandez.

The reason this statement is so surprising is that 33 years ago, Federico was one of just three people who survived a plane crash in which more than 50 people were killed. The cargo plane carrying horses and members of the Mexican Equestrian Federation to a young riders championship in Chicago crash landed shortly after take-off, hitting rush-hour traffic on the eight-lane Mexico-Toluca highway before ploughing in to a restaurant. Amazingly, one horse, Pepito, survived and went on to compete at the Seoul Olympic Games the following year.

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Article written by: Jennifer Donald