Paris Olympics 2024: Anush Agarwalla secures India’s first equestrian quota in dressage

The Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) has announced that Anush Agarwalla, who won a bronze medal in dressage at the Hangzhou Asian Games, has secured a quota for India in the dressage discipline for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

This achievement comes after Agarwalla delivered impressive performances in four FEI events held in Wroclaw, Poland (73.485%), Kronenberg, Netherlands (74.4%), Frankfurt, Germany (72.9%), and Mechelen, Belgium (74.2%). The quota has been granted to the nation, and the EFI will conduct a final trial to determine the Indian representative for the Paris Olympics.

Anush Agarwalla secured Olympic quota

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'Proud to be part of this historical moment'

"I am very proud and grateful to have been successful for securing a berth for India at the Paris Olympic Games. Competing in the Olympics has always been a childhood dream for me and I'm proud to be part of this historical moment for the nation," the 24-year-old Agarwalla said in a release.

The young rider conveyed his optimism about retaining the quota.

"I will continue doing what I have always been doing: staying focused, being disciplined, working hard, setting goals and achieving them. I am confident that I will be selected to represent India at this prestigious stage," Agarwalla said.

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EFI Secretary General congratulated Agarwalla 

EFI Secretary General Col Jaiveer Singh congratulated Agarwalla for his accomplishment. Previously, India were represented at the Olympics by Darya Singh (1980 Moscow), Indrajit Lamba (1996 Atlanta), Imtiaaz Anees (2000 Sydney), and Fouaad Mirza (2022 Tokyo). In the dressage event, the rider and horse perform in a 20m x 60m arena bordered by a low rail, which the horse must remain within. The arena features 12 lettered markers symmetrically positioned, indicating where movements start, changes in pace occur, and where movements conclude. There are seven stages: preliminary, elementary, medium, advanced medium, advanced, Prix St George, and Intermediate-I. Scoring ranges from 1 to 10, with 1 representing very poor performance and 10 indicating excellence.

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