Equestrian | 2020 Olympics the next target for Asiad silver-medalist Fouaad Mirza
After winning silver medals in individual and team events in equestrian at the recently concluded Asian Games in Indonesia, Fouaad Mirza has now set his sights on the Tokyo Olympics. The Indian horseman said that with two years remaining for the games, he can get his preparations in place.
Mirza made the nation proud at the Asiad with a spectacular show as he became the first Indian since 1982 to win a medal in the event at Asiad. He, alongside Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Mallick, and Jitender Singh bagged silver in the team event as well. The Karnataka-boy has now set his target at a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics which will be held in 2020. He is of the opinion that with better facilities, the Indians can leave a mark in Tokyo.
“It is a tough task. But I believe we can give it a good shot. We just need to keep focus and hone our skills to match the required standards. We have two years to do that and with the top horses and the best coaches, we can make our presence felt against the best in business,” Mirza told Bangalore Mirror.
Mirza credited the chief of Embassy Group Jitu Virwani, who supported him and paved way for his participation at the Asian Games after Equestrian Federation Of India (EFI) decided not to send the team to Jakarta.
“He offered hope when the team was gutted by the EFI’s decision. We knew we had a big chance. The results we had achieved at home and in a couple of international meets before qualifying for the Games were on a par with the favorites, Japan. I was in good form training under Olympian Bettina Hoy in Germany and the three Army riders trained in France,” said