SHARAD DEEP

JAKARTA: For young Fouaad Mirza, the horse is not just an animal but ‘an athlete’ who feels the pulse of his rider and responds accordingly. On Sunday, Bangalore’s Fouaad won silver in individual jumping with a score of 26.40, reminding one of the glorious days of Indian equestrianism, when during the 1982 Asian Games hosted in New Delhi, India won medals aplenty.

Raghubir Singh, Ghulam Mohammed Khan and Prahlad Singh had won gold, silver and bronze in what is till date the country’s best performance in the sport at Asian Games.

Fouaad came second to Japan’s Oiwa Yoshiaki who clinched gold (22.70), while China’s Hua Tian Alex (27.10) won bronze.

SILVER FOR TEAM TOO

There was double joy for Fouaad as he also helped India win the team silver with a score of 121.30. Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Malik and Jitender Singh were the other members in the team. Japan finished on top with a score of 82.40 while Thailand bagged bronze with a score of 126.70. The team silver was also India’s first since 1982.

Indian riders have won four consecutive bronze medals, with the last coming at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

Competing on the big stage for the second time, the 26-year-old Fouaad didn’t feel the pressure even after fumbling on the second of the 11 fences. Astride Seigneur Medicott, he continued to flourish at the Jakarta International Equestrian Park, located on the outskirts of Jakarta.