Equestrian: Fouaad Mirza has set his sights on Tokyo 2020 qualification

When Fouaad Mirza, 2018 Asian Games silver medallist in Equestrian, walked up to be honoured with Arjuna Award, he created history of sorts. The 27-year-old was the first civilian rider to get the award. In a sport that is controlled and managed by the Indian Army, his achievement is magnified by the efforts of his father Dr Hesneyn Mirza, his personal sponsor Jitu Virwani of the Embassy Group and his own, to overcome the odds and challenges posed by the Equestrian Federation of India. The latter has been in the dock over non-compliance with the National Sports Code, with the sports ministry cracking the whip over its functioning and recognition this year.

Mirza, 27, missed the gold by a whisker at Jakarta Asian Games last year but became the first Indian rider to win two silver medals at the continental games since 1982 in both individual and team eventing competitions. He is the first rider to win the Arjuna Award after 15 years—the last one was Brigadier Deep Ahlawat in 2004. Col Rajesh Pattu got the Arjuna in 2003 and was the tenth rider overall since 1973. While most of the Indian riders' dreams end after competing in Asian Games, Mirza and his support team have the faith and plan to dream bigger and compete at the Olympics, thanks to his individual efforts and those of his sponsor without any financial help from the government.

"Yeah, I am very fortunate to have the backing of the Embassy group. They have helped me focus only on riding. Even after the Asian Games, it was back to the grind straightaway. I did not waste any time to get back on the saddle and start training again,” Mirza said.

“The next big thing is to try and qualify for Tokyo [2020 Olympics]. Working really hard towards that. I had a small setback—my main horse Medicott, who helped us win two individual medals in Jakarta, sustained injuries this year. So, he is out of my Tokyo programme. That's a huge loss but that's the way sport goes sometimes. Having said that, I have two very capable horses in the pipeline that can do the job," he told THE WEEK while in New Delhi to collect his Arjuna Award on the National Sports Day from President Ram Nath Kovind.

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Though a Bengaluru lad, he is based in Germany where he trains and competes, away from the mess within the EFI. He is already on the verge of Olympic qualification for Tokyo 2020, topping the riders list from Zone G or the Asia Pacific zone. Indian riders have competed in Moscow (1980), Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000) Olympics.

Interestingly, the EFI, has publicly stated that no rider was expected to win a medal at the 2020 Olympics. In face of such apathy, a positive Mirza said, "You would expect federations to support you, chase your dreams, put India on the map. Having said that, my job is to get the results. If I get them, they have to send me. EFI is helpful in the sense that they put in my entries on time. They do all of that. I have no complaints on that front."

He is extremely confident of securing Olympic qualification. His only possible challenge could be from China, which has qualified as a team, but individually its riders' scores are low. "As far as rankings go, I am on top of the list in our zone Asia Pacific. If things go continue like this, I should be able to qualify. They take the best four results, which have to be 4 star and above.

“I took part in three competitions—which are now being counted as Olympic qualifiers—on my main horse, Medicott. But since it is a new horse now, I cannot push for a win straightaway. I need to know the horse. I had gone around with a handbrake in the last three competitions. Next week, I am competing in another Olympic Qualifier in Poland, and I plan to go all out there. The horse is shaping up well and I am confident that we will form a good partnership. I would like to earn 45 more points,” Mirza said.

The odds are stacked against him at the Olympic level but despite his soft-spoken nature, he is confident. "If my horse wasn't injured, I could have confidently said top-10 was quite easy. But now, if I make it to the top-20, I will be very happy. It's a huge thing for India. We had one rider to compete in the Sydney 2000 Olympics. I want to go there to win even if I have zero chances."