Fouaad Mirza
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2018
Asiad
Won silver in Equestrian
August 27, 2018: The Times of India
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From: August 27, 2018: The Times of India
Fouaad Mirza became the first Indian to win an Asian Games individual medal in the equestrian event since 1982 besides guiding the country to a second-place finish in the team competition here.
Mirza won the silver medal in individual jumping with a score of 26.40, while Japan's Oiwa Yoshiaki clinched the gold with a score of 22.70.
China's Hua Tian Alex finished in third position to win the bronze medal, with a score of 27.10.
The Indian team, comprising Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Malik and Jitender Singh apart from Mirza, also claimed the silver with a score of 121.30, the feats coming days after their last-minute arrival owing to infighting in the Equestrian Federation of India.
Japan finished on top with a score of 82.40, while Thailand bagged the bronze with a score of 126.70.
Fouaad topped the dressage and cross-country qualifiers with a score of 22.40 and went into the jumping finals as a favourite. In the medal round, he notched up 26.40 to bag silver in the three-day competition.
Fouaad, who has been training under German Olympian Bettina Hoy, is the first Indian to win in Europe.
The 26-year-old made the Indian team after racing his way to victory in the first two trials at the Asian Games CCI equestrian event held in Montelibretti, Italy last year. He emerged as the spearhead for the Asian Games on the basis of his performance then.
After his impressive showing in Italy, he competed in France before displaying his skills in a couple of championships in Germany.
Fouaad's feat came days after the Indian equestrian team's nightmarish journey to the Indonesian capital as it got accreditation only a day before it was scheduled to leave for the Asian Games.
Infighting among office-bearers in the Equestrian Federation of India, which saw the EFI declare the selection null and void, only made it worse for the athletes.
In the event, the horses, along with the riders, are timed from a start and a finish line, and a final score is obtained by combining the number of jumping faults (4 points for every jump knocked down), number of refusals (a refusal is when the horse refuses to jump), and time faults (if the rider takes more time than the stipulated limit).
Two refusals in the event lead to elimination.
India had previously won 10 medals in the sport, including three gold.
The last individual medal in eventing came in 1982 when Raghubir Singh finished on the podium in the Indian capital.
Details
The 26-year-old, who trains under former world champion Bettina Hoy in Germany. stayed focused on the job on hand and won a gold at the Eventing Emmeloord CIC 2* event in the Netherlands, a month before the Asian Games.
Mirza, a product of the Embassy International Riding School, rued the fact that he could not nail the gold which was within fetching distance.
Without going into the specifics of the mistake he had committed, Mirza added, “The horse (Seigneur Medicott) is jumping very well. It was a small mistake I made on my part. It is a game of inches and we lost by an inch.”
Asked if the uncertainty in the build-up to the event affected him, Mirza pointed out, “You really can’t prepare for things like this. But we did get here in the end and gave it our best. It is no fun and not a great position to be in, especially when the sport is as much mental as it is physical. Mirza, whose father Dr. Hasneyn Mirza is one of top equine vets in the country, has been living and training in Germany for the past 15 months.
Among the rare Indian riders to have won medals in Europe, Mirza believes without backing his dreams would have remained unfulfilled. “I’m very grateful to Embassy Group’s Jitu Virwani for giving me this opportunity. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have any of the medals or I wouldn’t be living my dream here.”
Mirza also attributed a greater role in the success story to his horse Seigneur Medicott. “The role of the horse, according to me, is more important than that of the rider. The horse is the most important individual in the team. They are very sensitive to body language and feeling so they know as well when they have done well.”
2019
Gold at Olympic qualifying event
Fouaad Mirza wins gold at Olympic qualifying event
India’s double Asian Games silver medallist Fouaad Mirza bagged the top honours at the CCI3*S, an Olympic qualifying event, held in Strzegom, Poland. Fouaad is currently the highest ranked individual in Group G for Asia Pacific Zone with 34 points on one horse Fernhill Facetime, 30 points on the second horse Touchingwood and at present qualifying his third horse, Dajara. “I am excited about our new horse Dajara, which has immense potential for success at the Olympics,” Fouaad said.
2021
Mirza picks Seigneur Medicott for Olympics
July 21, 2021: The Times of India
Asian Games double silver medallist Fouaad Mirza has changed his horse in the final entry for the Tokyo Olympics starting later this week.
The ace Indian equestrian rider had earlier picked Dajara 4 over Seigneur Medicott, with whom he won his Asian Games silver, as his equine partner. But with July 16 being the extended cut-off date for the final entry, Mirza, the third Indian to secure an individual spot in eventing, decided to go with Seigneur Medicott.
According to Embassy International Riding School, Mirza’s sponsor club, the 29-year-old had changed his plans over the past couple of weeks. In the last few gruelling weeks of competing and practice, Mirza felt that Dajara 4 had undergone a lot of pressure. This prompted the change in the final entry as he felt Seigneur Medicott was moving better.
“The decision to change my equine partner from Dajara 4 to Seigneur Medicott was a very difficult one. Both are champion, top pedigree horses sponsored by Embassy Group. I decided to go ahead with Seigneur Medicott, who seemed to be moving better. He was my equine partner at the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta when we won the silver medal. Having trained with him in the last couple of years, I am confident that we will do our best at the Olympics.” said Mirza.
Seigneur Medicott, a dark bay Westphalian gelding foaled in 2006, has competed 34 times and won 10 times. He was the German Champion in 2017 and was purchased the same year by the Embassy Group.
Seigneur Medicott cleared quarantine in Aachen — a city near Germany’s border with Belgium and the Netherlands — and flew to Tokyo on Tuesday morning. The horse is accompanied by Johanna Pohonen (groom), Dr Grigorios Maleas (veterinarian) and Veronica Sinz (physiotherapist).
Meanwhile, the Sports Authority of India has spent in excess of Rs 35 lakh to ensure the safe passage of the team from Germany.
