Agarwalla will be India’s 1st ever dressage entry at Games

New Delhi, June 25

Asian Games medallist Anush Agarwalla will represent the country in the dressage event of the Paris Olympics after pipping close contender Shruti Vora on better average, the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) said in a statement today.

Agarwalla, who bagged gold in the team dressage and bronze in the individual dressage events at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, was picked ahead of Vora after a careful evaluation of the recent performances of the two contenders.

It will be India’s first-ever entry at the dressage event of the Olympics as largely riders in past editions competed in eventing categories only.

Agarwalla (with his horse Sir Caramello Old) has been consistent since the qualification period began last year and achieved Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) four times, while veteran Vora earned the required two MERs this month.

When an average was taken out of the contenders in the assessment, Agarwalla emerged on top. He had an average score of 67.695 per cent which was better than Vora’s 67.163 per cent.

As per the criteria set by EFI, a rider-horse combination is required to achieve a minimum of 67 per cent twice between January 1, 2023 and June 24, 2024 to be eligible for the Paris Games qualification.