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Ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024, Indian dressage rider Anush Agarwalla caught up with Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha at the Olympic Village in the French capital.
On Wednesday, July 24, PT Usha landed in Paris to join the Indian contingent of 100-plus athletes. She will cheer for the Indian athletes and support them until the conclusion of the Summer Games on August 11.
“All set for the @Paris2024 Olympic Games, @AnushAgarwalla arrives at the Olympic Village. He had the opportunity to meet IOA President @PTUshaOfficial , who wished him the best for his event,” IOA posted on X.
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A total of 117 athletes will represent India at the Games in Paris with athletics topping the number of athletes (27). Shooting will have a record number of 21 athletes in Paris across rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines. The Indian contingent would be aiming to surpass their best medal tally of seven from the Tokyo Olympics.
Anush Agarwalla becomes India’s first Olympic dressage rider
It’s worth noting that Anush Agarwalla is set to become the first Indian Olympic dressage rider. Previously, seven Indian equestrians competed at the Games but all in eventing.
Notably, in the dressage event, the horse and rider must stay within the area while performing a series of predetermined movements bordered by a low rail.
Agarwalla secured the Paris Olympics 2024 quota after his exceptional performances in four International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) events, considered for the Olympics qualification.
Agarwalla, who clinched India’s first individual medal (bronze) in dressage at the Asian Games 2023 in China, surpassed his close contender Shruti Vora with a better average after calculating their recent performances.
The previous seven Indian eventing riders are Fouaad Mirza (Tokyo 2020), Imtiaz Anees (Sydney 2000), Indirajit Lamba (Atlanta 1996), Jitendrajit Singh Ahluwalia (Moscow 1980), Hussain Singh (Moscow 1980), Mohammed Khan (Moscow 1980) and Darya Singh (Moscow 1980).
Hailing from Kolkata, Anush Agarwalla shifted his base to Germany at the age of 17 to pursue his dream of becoming a professional dressage rider.
