Fouaad gallops to silver, restores equestrian glory

Fouaad, who has been training under German Olympian Bettina Hoy, is the first Indian to win in Europe. He topped the dressage and cross-country qualifiers with a score of 22.40 and at one point was in reckoning for gold with a steady showing on the German horse with which he has been training for the last one year.

“Mistakes do happen. I should have put more weight behind while crossing the second hurdle. My horse was fantastic and took my commands perfectly,” said Fouaad, who comes from a family where horse riding is the biggest passion. “I am very much happy with my silver, but gold would have been much better.”

“I have been taught to read one lesson at a time and don’t bother about the last lesson. So, after committing a mistake on the second hurdle, I thought there were nine more lessons to be learnt,” said Fauaad, who admired his team members for their collective effort in winning the team silver.

He, however, said winning a medal in a ‘one-star’ event was just the beginning and he would continue to be inspired till he wins a medal at the Olympics — a ‘four-star’ event where the competition is tougher. “I feel that I can make it to the Tokyo Olympics,” he said.

He would soon be returning to Germany for training as before the 2020 Olympics he will have six opportunities to make the cut for the quadrennial showpiece.

His father and coach Hasneyn Mirza too was ecstatic. “I was waiting for this day. I have been a horse rider and have won the nationals a number of times, but I always aimed for an international medal for my son. As opposed to our apprehensions, the horses were put under tight security at the stable here.”