Paris Olympics: Anush Agarwalla makes history in individual dressage despite elimination

Versailles (France): India’s lone rider, Anush Agarwalla, astride Sir Caramello Old, finished ninth in Group E in the Dressage Grand Prix Individual Qualifier round of the 2024 Olympics Equestrian competitions here on Wednesday. The ninth-place finish in his group meant, Agarwalla, the 24-year-old from Kolkata who has been training in Germany since he was 17, was eliminated from the competition in the first stage.

But it was still a good enough achievement for Indian equestrian as Agarwalla became the first Indian to compete in dressage at the Summer Olympic Games after achieving the Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) four times to obtain a quota for the country.

Anush Agarwalla and his horse, Sir Caramello Old were awarded a total of 66.444 penalty points by the judges, which saw them finish ninth in their group. Only two competitors from each group progressed to the final of the event.

Denmark's Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour topped Group E with a score of 80.792 while Germany's Isabell Wirth finished second.

Dressage is the most advanced form of horse training, where horse and rider perform a series of artistic movements to music. Judges evaluate the ease and fluidity with which they move around the course.

The Chateau de Versailles (also known as the Palace of Versailles) is considered an iconic symbol in France and was home to the court of Louis XIV in 1682. It is regarded as a major tourist destination and the setup for the Olympics will be dismantled once the events taking place at the venue conclude.

By participating in the Equestrian event in Paris, Agarwalla joined an illustrious list of Indian horsemen who represented the country in the Olympics.

Fouaad Mirza represented India in Eventing at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Before him, Imtiaz Anees competed in the 2000 Sydney Games while Indrajit Lamba took the field in the 1996 Atlanta Games. Jitendrajit Singh Ahluwalia, Hussain Singh, Mohammed Khan and Darya Singh had all competed at the 1980 Moscow Games. All the previous six riders represented the country in Eventing while Agarwalla qualified for Dressage.

Agarwalla's achievement comes close on the heels of India's success in the Asian Games in Hangzhou where the Indian squad of Agarwalla, Divakirti Singh, Hriday Chheda and Sudipti Hajela made history by winning gold in Team Dressage.