The Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) chose Anush Agarwalla to compete for India in the The sport of dressage occasion at the Paris the Summer Olympics. This is an important milestone because it will be India’s first time competing in the Dressage category at the Olympics.
Anush Agarwalla was selected following a thorough review of her most recent performance. He narrowly missed Shruti Vora due to a greater mean score. Anush has performed consistently well since the requirements period began last year, meeting the Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) four times.
To qualify for the Paris Olympics, EFI requires a rider-horse combination to achieve a minimum score of 67% twice between January 1, 2023, and June 24, 2024. If more than one athlete meets this standard, the rider with the highest average score in Grand Prix events over the past year is selected. Only scores from FEI level competitions 3* and above are considered.
Key Performances
Anush Agarwalla qualifying scores were:
– 67.936% at Wiesbaden (May 2024)
– 68.261% at Mechelen (December 2023)
– 67.152% at Frankfurt (December 2023)
– 67.804% at Wroclaw (October 2023)
Shruti Vora, riding horse Magnanimous, achieved her second MER by finishing second at the Brno Grand Prix in the Czech Republic with a score of 68.174%. Her first MER was earned earlier this month when she won a three-star Grand Prix event at the Dressage World Cup in Lipica, Slovenia, with a score of 67.761%. However, her other performances, with scores of 66.543% and 66.174%, did not meet the MER level.
Anush Agarwalla selection continues the legacy of Indian equestrians at the Olympics. Previous representatives include Fouaad Mirza at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Imtiaz Anees at the 2000 Sydney Games, Indrajit Lamba at the 1996 Atlanta Games, and Jitendrajit Singh Ahluwalia, Hussain Singh, Mohammed Khan, and Darya Singh at the 1980 Moscow Games.