India’s four-decade-long wait for Gold in Dressage Gold in the Asian Games ended on Tuesday as Hirday Chheda, Anush Agarwalla, Divyakriti Singh and Sudipti Hajela combined superbly to win the equestrian team dressage yellow medal in Hangzhou, China on Tuesday.
Before Tuesday’s dressage team gold, India had won three gold medals, three silver medals and six bronze medals in equestrian at the Asian Games 1982 in Delhi.
Competing at the Tonglu Equestrian Centre, all four Indians gave an excellent display of riding which fetched them top podium place.
Anush Agarwalla, astride Etro, was the pick of the lot, scoring 71.088. Hriday Chheda, mounted on Chemxpro Emerald, followed with 69.941 while Divyakriti Singh and her horse Adrenalin Firfod were awarded 68.176. Sudipti Hajela, with horse Chinski, contributed 66.706.
The best three scores were added up for India’s team total, which came up to 209.205 (Anush Agarwalla – 71.088; Hriday Chheda – 69.941; Divyakriti Singh – 68.176).
The Chinese team of Huang Zhuoqin (68.176), Rao Jiayi (69.265) and Lan Chao (67.441) secured the dressage team silver with a combined score of 204.882. Hong Kong China’s Chan Samantha Grace (65.353), Ho Yuen Yan Annie (68.323) and Siu Jacqueline Wing Ying (71.176) took the bronze with a total score of 204.852.
As per the individual rankings, Anush Agarwalla and Hriday Chheda were the second and third-best scorers of the day behind Siu Jacqueline Wing Ying. All four Indian riders will be in action in the individual dressage event on Wednesday
This was India’s third gold medal at Hangzhou The women’s cricket team and men’s 10m air rifle team of Rudrankksh Patil, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Divyansh Singh Panwar accounted for the other two.
In 1982 Delhi Asiad, Raghubir Singh, who was crowned champion in the individual event in that edition, also won a gold in team event alongside Ghulam Mohammed Khan, Bishal Singh and Milkha Singh. Rupinder Singh Brar won the gold medal in individual tent pegging, a category that featured at the continental games only in that edition.