Hitting his stride | Fouaad Mirza

There are no Sundays for Fouaad Mirza. Each day begins at 7 am at a stable in Bergedorf village in Germany, where he spends time with seven to eight horses, including Seigneur Medicott, with whom he won the two Asian Games medals. In addition to riding, Mirza feeds and bathes them, takes them to graze and for hand walks. The hours spent together, says Mirza, are essential to gain the trust of the animal and build a bond. “You know when it is sad or happy, and they know when you aren’t feeling too good or are a little angry,” he says.

A love for horses runs in Mirza’s family based in Bengaluru. His father, Dr Hasneyn Mirza, is one of India’s top equine veterinarians. “Growing up, I never had a Gameboy or PlayStation,” Mirza said at a press interaction. By age five, he was riding ponies at a stud farm and soon he was riding to compete. His first Junior National Championship medal stoked the fire to turn a hobby into a profession.

Equestrian sports are expensive, though, and Mirza’s training abroad has been sponsored by Bengaluru’s Embassy Group since 2014. He is currently coached by Sandra Auffarth, a former world champion and two-time Olympic medalist. The German rider will also compete in Tokyo.

Mirza is not the first to represent India in individual eventing—Indrajit Lamba (Atlanta 1996) and Imtiaz Anees (Sydney 2000) came before. But Mirza made history at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta when he ended India’s 36-year-old medal drought in the sport with two silvers. The medals gave a huge publicity boost to the sport in India and helped Mirza win the Arjuna Award in 2019. “Among the equestrian community in India, a lot of people are motivated to pursue the sport,” says Mirza, ranked world #70. “It will take some time to grow but it is moving in the right direction.”

A medal in Tokyo could be a bigger fillip. “I am not interested in going there just to make up the numbers,” says Mirza. “I am going there to give it my ultimate best and, hopefully, I will finish among the top few.” In equestrian sport, though, it takes two to win. India’s hopes, too, will be riding on Seigneur Medicott.

read the full story about Hitting his stride | Fouaad Mirza

#theheadlines #breakingnews #headlinenews #newstoday #latestnews #aajtak #ndtv #timesofindia #indiannews