John Winnett  John Winfield Winnett, Jr. (December 22, 1928 in Los Angeles, California – October 5, 2007 in Wellington, Florida ) was an American equestrian who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics. Winnett competed as a member of the United States Equestrian Dressage team in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany and as a reserve rider in the 1976 Olympics held in Montreal, Canada. In 1980 Winnett qualified for the U.S. Olympic team but did not compete due to the Olympic Committee's boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. He was one of 461 athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal instead.