Paris Olympics: Anush Agarwalla makes individual dressage history despite elimination

India’s only rider Anush Agarwalla, riding Sir Caramello Old, finished ninth in Group E in the individual qualification round of the Dressage Grand Prix of the 2024 Olympic Games equestrian competitions in Versailles, France, on Wednesday. Ninth place in his group meant that Agarwalla, the 24-year-old from Calcutta who has been training in Germany since he was 17, was eliminated from the competition in the first round. But it was still a good enough achievement for Indian equestrianism as Agarwalla became the first Indian to compete in dressage at the Summer Olympics after meeting the Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) four times to get 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 the group. Only two competitors from each group advanced 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. The 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 the seat of the court of Louis XIV in 1682. It is considered an important tourist destination and the facility for the Olympics will be dismantled once the events take place in place they end.

By participating in the Paris equestrian event, Agarwalla joined an illustrious list of Indian riders who represented the country at the Olympics.

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

Agarwalla’s achievement comes on the heels of India’s success at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, where the Indian team of Agarwalla, Divakirti Singh, Hriday Chheda and Sudipti Hajela created history by winning gold in Team Dressage.

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