Equestrian Anush Agarwalla gets India's first ever quota for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in dressage

Fouaad Mirza (Tokyo Games 2020), Imtiaaz Anees (2000), Indrajit Lamba (1996) and Darya Singh (1980) were the other riders who participated in the Olympics.

Anshu Agarwalla had won individual dressage bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

New Delhi: Anush Agarwalla, who had won a historic individual bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Games, has secured an Olympic quota for the country in Paris in the dressage discipline, the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) announced on Monday. Agarwalla, who won individual bronze in Hangzhou, was allocated the quota based on his performances in four FEI events: Wroclaw, Poland (73.485%), Kronenberg, Netherlands (74.4%), Frankfurt, Germany (72.9% ) and Mechelen, Belgium (74.2%).

The quota belongs to the country and the National Federation will conduct a final trial before the final name is sent to the organizers. “I am very proud and grateful to have been successful in securing a place for India at the Paris Olympics. Participating in the Olympic Games has always been a childhood dream of mine and I am proud to be part of this historic moment for the nation,” said Agarwalla.

The 24-year-old rider hoped that he can keep the quota. “I will continue to do what I have always done: stay focused, be disciplined, work hard, set goals and achieve them. I am confident that I will be selected to represent India on this prestigious stage,” said Agarwalla.

EFI Secretary General Colonel Jaiveer Singh congratulated the rider. “We have today received confirmation from the FEI regarding the allocation of individual quotas in dressage events. It is a matter of pride that Anush's consistent showing at the FEI events has been given India quota,” said Jaiveer.

“Indian riders have made their presence felt at the FEI events and it is not at all surprising that India will once again be represented at the Olympic Games in the equestrian events,” Jaiveer added. The celebrated Fouaad Mirza represented India at the Tokyo 2020 Games and before him, only Imtiaaz Anees (2000), Indrajit Lamba (1996) and Darya Singh (1980) could compete on the biggest sporting stage.

What is dressage event?

The rider-horse combination performs in an arena of 20 x 60 meters, bordered by a low rail within which the horse must remain. The arena has 12 symmetrically placed markers that indicate where the movements should begin, where the tempo changes should occur, and where the movements should end. There are seven stages: Preliminary, Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced Medium, Advanced, Prix St George and Intermediate -I. • The scoring is done on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being very poor and 10 being excellent.