The Indian equestrian team has scripted history by winning the gold medal in team dressage at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. This is India's first-ever equestrian medal at the Asian Games in 41 years. The team comprising Anush Agarwalla, Hriday Vipul Chheda, Divyakriti Singh, and Sudipti Hajela finished with a total score of 209.205 points to top the podium ahead of China (208.065) and Hong Kong China (207.204) who took home the silver and bronze medals respectively.
The Dressage event involves the execution of a series of predetermined movements by horse and rider in an arena. It tests the training of the horse and its obedience to the rider's commands. The difficulty level increases progressively as the test unfolds. Points are awarded by judges for each movement on a scale of 0 to 10. The score indicates the quality of the movement performed.
India has not won an equestrian medal at the Asian Games since 1982, when the late Imtiaz Anees clinched a historic individual bronze in dressage. This gold medal brings an end to that long wait spanning over four decades.
The 23-year-old Anush Agarwalla was the best performer for India, scoring 71.088 individually across the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special rounds. He rode the 12-year-old gelding named Addiction De Loxiro to execute the flawless technical movements. Anush hails from an equestrian family based in Bengaluru and has been honing his dressage skills under the tutelage of Portuguese rider Mariette Withages. He has represented India at the 2018 Asian Games and the 2022 World Equestrian Championships.
Hriday Vipul Chheda, riding the 10-year-old mare Something Special, was also impressive with a total score of 70.272. The 23-year-old already has an Asian Games silver medal to his name from Jakarta 2018. Divyakriti Singh, astride the horse Who's The Boss, accumulated 66.126 points. The most experienced member of the quartet, the 26-year-old Divyakriti won two silver medals at the 2017 Asian Championships.
The fourth member of the team was 20-year-old Sudipti Hajela partnering the gelding named Bliss. She scored 61.719 in her maiden Asian Games appearance. The consistency demonstrated by all four riders paved the way for India's historic medal.
The meticulous planning and preparation by the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) over the last four years has paid rich dividends. Their program focused on strengthening the dressage capabilities through foreign exposure trips, quality coaching and regular international competition participation. The results vindicate the federation's single-minded pursuit of excellence in the discipline.
EFI Advisor Colonel Jaiveer Singh spoke about the need to build solid infrastructure and obtain high-quality horses to maintain India's ascent in dressage. The gold medal augurs well for the future as India looks to build depth in the sport. Other Asian countries like Japan and Thailand have been performing exceptionally well at global events like the Olympics due to their strong equestrian structures.
The timing of this victory gains even more significance as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has proposed cutting Dressage along with jumping and eventing from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to reduce costs. The IOC will take a final decision during its session in Mumbai later this year. This gold medal from Hangzhou provides irrefutable evidence of India's abilities in dressage and will strengthen EFI's case to retain it at the Olympics.
The Asian Games gold is also a massive encouragement for equestrian sport across the country. The general perception of horse riding as an elite activity prevents gifted athletes from non-traditional backgrounds from taking it up professionally. Success at the highest levels of competition can change that by increasing aspirational value. It will open up access to quality infrastructure at the grassroots level rather than remaining confined to a privileged few.
Promising riders will be inspired to dream of representing India after watching Anush, Hriday, Divyakriti and Sudipti atop the podium this week. If nurtured appropriately, some of them could go on to win medals at the 2026 Asian Games and even the 2028 Olympics. The golden journey has only just begun.
The challenges are enormous, but the will to overcome them is now stronger than ever. The Government needs to chip in too. Equestrian is an expensive sport and requires assistance through funding and policies. Corporate backing will become more forthcoming after the medal-winning show.
The historic gold won by the Indian equestrian team at the 2023 Asian Games will fast track the development of the sport in the country. It erases doubts over India's potential in the precision-based discipline of dressage. The team's stirring feat is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication to be the best. Their synchronized efforts bore glorious fruit in Hangzhou catapulting dressage into the spotlight. If the momentum can be sustained through a well-planned roadmap, India could emerge as a force to reckon with in Asian and world equestrian in the coming years. For now, it is time to celebrate the golden girls and boy!
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