A Ballygunge boy and a La Martiniere for Boys alumnus is part of the four-member Indian dressage team that made history by clinching India’s first gold in 41 years at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China, on Tuesday.
Anush Agarwalla and his horse Etro scored the highest among the Indian riders with 71.088 points, followed by Hriday Vipul Chheda-Emerald with 69.941 points and Divyakriti Singh-Adrenalin Firdod with 68.176 points. Sudipti Hajela-Chinski scored 66.706 points, which was not counted in the team total as only the best three scores were considered. The Indian team finished with a total of 209.205 points, well ahead of China’s 204.882 points and Hong Kong’s 204.852 points.
Anush used to visit The Tollygunge Club with his parents for horse riding and started training when he was 10
"All the hard work and sacrifices have strengthened our determination to succeed. This gold medal is a tribute to that. I am grateful to my trainer Hubertus Schmidt and my family for their unconditional support," Anush told My Kolkata from China.
Anush, a resident of Ballygunge in south Kolkata, began his journey in horse riding when he was just seven years old. He used to visit The Tollygunge Club with his parents for horse riding and started training when he was 10. Completing his Class X from La Martiniere for Boys and Plus Two from The Shri Ram School, New Delhi, he moved to Germany at the age of 17 to train with Olympian Hubertus Schmidt.
Now, at age 24, he has earned his place in the pages of history. Along with his teammates, the youth beat China and Hong Kong in a thrilling contest. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the team on its victory in a post on X.
Anush’s mother, Priti Agarwalla, spoke to My Kolkata right after her son and his team’s grand victory. With much pride and joy, Agarwalla said: “I can’t express in words what we (the family) are feeling right now. He has been working really hard since he was a child. During Covid, he did not come home (in Ballygunge) and chose to stay back and practise for the Olympics. Even now, he comes to India once a year because he practises all round the year with his coach. Today, all his hard work has paid off. All other children have also done so well. We are really, really proud of them all.”
“An elder brother to two sisters Avni and Aanya, Anush has inspired them and made them proud too,” said Priti.
Anush Face-timed with his family soon after the win and told his mother, “Mom, we got the gold!”
Coach Hubertus Schmidt said: “We are all very proud that Anush did such a fantastic test on such a young horse Etro. It was a really nice ride with a lot of power and harmony. That’s exactly what we have trained for.”
This was India’s first gold medal in equestrian since the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, where Raghubir Singh, Riaz Mohammed, Chandrakant Shetty and Indrajit Lamba won the team eventing gold. India had also won a silver medal in team dressage in 1986, but had not won any medal in this sport since then.
Anush became one of the first Indian dressage riders to compete in the Dressage World Championships in 2022, along with Shruti Vora. He has also represented India in several international competitions, including the Asian Games 2018, where he finished seventh in individual dressage.
The next goal? An Olympic medal for India, for which he will start preparing right after returning from China, said mother Priti.