Asian Games: India make history, claim gold medal in Team Dressage, first medal in Dressage after 4 decades

Hangzhou:  India made history in the Asian Games equestrian competitions, winning a gold medal in Dressage Prix St-Georges after a gap of four decades when the quartet of Sudipti Hajela, Divyakriti Singh, Hriday Chheda and Anush AGarwala won the Team competition here on Tuesday.

The Indian team of Sudipti (up on Chinski), Divyakriti (Adrenalin Firfod), Hriday (Chemxpro Emerald) and Anush (on Etro) scored 209.206 percentage points to finish ahead of hosts China, who scored 204.882. Hong Kong China won the bronze medal with a score of 204.852.

This is India’s second medal in Team Dressage event in the Asian Games after the bronze won by the team of Jitendarjit Singh Ahluwalia, Ghulam Mohammed Khan and Raghubir Singh when the sport made its debut in the 1982 edition held in New Delhi. India’s all three gold medals came in the 1982 Asian Games in Individual Eventing, Team Eventing and Individual Tent Pegging, which has never been held since 1982.

Before Hangzhou, India had won 3 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze medals in the Asian Games. In 2018, India had won two silver medals in equestrian, both coming in Eventing with Fouaad Mirza finishing second in the Individual competition and then partnering Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Malik and Jitender Singh to silver in the Team event.

But the young combination of Sudipti Hajela, Divyakriti Singh, Hriday Chheda and Anush Agarwalla overcame all hurdles on Tuesday to make a historic achievement for Indian equestrian at Hangzhou.

–IANS