Anush Agarwalla — who had claimed a historic particular person bronze medal for India on the 2023 Asian Video games in addition to additionally enjoying a component within the group gold — has earned India a quota in dressage self-discipline for the Paris Olympics later this yr, Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) introduced on Monday.
That is the primary time an Indian rider will compete within the dressage occasion at an Olympics, with the seven Indian equestrian riders to have competed beforehand at an Olympics using within the eventing self-discipline.
How Anush Agarwalla received the equestrian quota
Agarwalla was allotted the quota on the premise of his efficiency in 4 FEI occasions — Wroclaw, Poland (73.485%) Kronenberg, Netherlands (74.4%), Frankfurt, Germany (72.9%), and Mechelen, Belgium (74.2%).
“I’m very proud and grateful to have been profitable for securing a berth for India on the Paris Olympic Video games. Competing within the Olympics has at all times been a childhood dream for me and I’m proud to be a part of this historic second for the nation,” stated 24-year-old Agarwalla.
What occurs now for the equestrian quota?
It should be famous that whereas Agarwalla claimed the quota for India, he isn’t assured of competing at Paris Olympics because the quota belongs to the nation. The Nationwide Federation, in its assertion, stated that it’s going to conduct a closing trial earlier than sending the ultimate title to the organisers of the Paris Olympics.
The younger rider stated he hoped he’ll be capable of retain the equestrian quota.
“I’ll proceed doing what I’ve at all times been doing: staying targeted, being disciplined, working onerous, setting objectives and attaining them. I’m assured that I can be chosen to signify India at this prestigious stage,” Agarwalla stated.
Who’s Anush Agarwalla?
Hailing from Kolkata, Anush Agarwalla began to journey horses at Tollygunge, identical to his father, uncle and cousins.
Agarwalla would journey to Delhi each faculty weekend from ages 11 to 16 to get higher at eventing. “Fortunately, my household understood my dream,” he had advised The Indian Categorical final yr after serving to India win a gold in group dressage on the Asian Video games.
Initially, when he moved to Europe to turn out to be knowledgeable rider, nobody in Europe needed to coach him.
He dremt of constructing the lower for the Asiad group in 2018, however missed out. When he couldn’t qualify, Anush stated he plunged into melancholy. “Accepting defeat is tough for me. I used to be depressed for months and couldn’t sleep at evening,” he recalled in an interview with The Indian Categorical. After he made the transition to Grand Prix stage in Europe, and couldn’t make the Tokyo Olympics grade until December 31, 2019, issues received worse.
Have Indian equestrian riders competed at Olympics earlier than?
Fouaad Mirza was India’s lone consultant in equestrian using on the deferred Tokyo Olympics. Earlier than Mirza, Imtiaaz Anees (Sydney 2000), Indrajit Lamba (Atlanta 1996), Jitendrajit Singh Ahluwalia, Hussain Singh, Mohammed Khan and Darya Singh (all Moscow 1980) competed for India on the Summer time Video games.
What’s the dressage occasion?
The rider-horse combo performs in an area of 20m x 60m, bordered by a low rail which the horse should keep inside.
The equestrian area has 12 lettered markers positioned symmetrically indicating the place the actions are to begin and the place the modifications to tempo are to happen and the place the actions will finish.·
There are seven phases — preliminary, elementary, medium, superior medium, superior, Prix St George and Intermediate -I.·
The scoring is completed on scale of 1 to 10 the place 1 signifies very unhealthy and 10 glorious.