Aradhana Anand
| Photo Credit: Special association
About a 12 months in the past, Aradhana Anand quietly received a bronze in nationwide showjumping, an equestrian sport, in Bhopal. But the spirited lady from Coimbatore was not happy along with her effort. She labored onerous from there and completed 2023 on a excessive with two golds and a bronze medal in the class Children II for these aged 10 to 12 at the prestigious Junior National Equestrian Championship in Bengaluru.
So, what’s showjumping all about? It is an occasion the place the horse and the rider clear a sequence of jumps and the winner is judged based mostly on skill and pace. The Bengaluru occasion, organised by the Equestrian Federation of India, noticed 250 members and 450 horses from throughout the nation, similar to Jaipur, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, to call just a few. The boys outnumbered the women with members from Delhi, in accordance with her father Anand Purusothaman, being the hardest of all of them. “They have some very good horses and spend a lot on them. It’s tough competing against them,” he says.
Aradhana, a Class VII pupil from C S Academy, confirmed nice management and pace on her technique to profitable the gold and a bronze and one other yellow steel in showjumping accumulator. Interestingly, she beat her nearest competitor by a transparent three-second margin. Aradhana was skilled in Covai Stables and beneath the watchful eye of Saravanan Kandasamy.
Her dad and mom are supportive of her journey. “In the initial days, she fell a lot from her horse, but rose to the challenge with every fall,” says Anand. Aradhana tried her hand at badminton however her love for animals drew her to equestrian. “She has taken part in over 40 competitions across the country and every event was a learning curve for her,” he provides.
Aradhana’s dad and mom have plans to ship her to Europe for coaching. Equestrian sports activities are usually not simple for ladies riders as it’s the solely sport in the Olympics wherein women and men compete collectively. Women comprise fewer than 20 per cent of the prime 100, and solely 5 have taken residence a person Olympic medal of any color.
But Julia Krajewski from Germany, the first-ever feminine in Olympics historical past, modified all of it, profitable the particular person eventing gold at the Tokyo Games. And, that has raised the confidence stage of Aradhana, who has set her eyes firmly on the 2030 Asian Games.
