The equestrian has performed consistently throughout the Tokyo Olympics, and his qualification to the final is a very good result for India.
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Indian equestrian Fouaad Mirza scripted history as he qualified for the final of the equestrian jumping event. Mirza became the first-ever Indian athlete to do so. The equestrian has performed consistently throughout the Olympics, and his qualification to the final is a very good result for India. Mirza had qualified in 25th place from the qualifiers. Only the top 25 athletes in qualifying make it through to the final so it was a very nerve-wracking experience for Mirza. The Indian finished in 23rd place in the final with 59.60 penalty points. The result might not look impressive, but just making it to the final of this sport is a big deal for the country.
Ahead of the Olympics, it could be argued that most of India’s population did not have much knowledge about the sport. Some might not even have been aware that there was such a sport in the Olympics. As a result, there was not much hype around Mirza’s qualification to the Olympics. People were just unaware. However, the equestrian has performed brilliantly at the Tokyo Games and has earned a lot of praise and respect from the fans back home.
Mirza might have finished in the last qualifying place in the qualifiers, but he had a comfortable lead over the one behind him. He had 47.20 penalty points, whereas Italy’s Arianna Schivo had 49.70 penalty points. Schivo finished 26th in the qualifiers.
Mirza was the first one out of the blocks in the final. His horse, Seigneur, delivered an impressive performance as it pranced around the track. He did commit a few mistakes but had a good run overall. Mirza finished with 59.60 penalty points, and in 23rd place. It was a history-creating moment for Mirza and India, and one he will cherish for a long time.
Mirza was not the only one who created history in the final, however. German equestrian Julia Krajewski stole the headlines as she won the gold medal in the event. It is a historic achievement since the German became the first woman to ever win the gold medal in equestrian at the Olympics. She had only 26 penalty points. British equestrian Tom McEwen won the silver medal as he finished with 29.30 penalty points. Andrew Hoy from Australia bagged the bronze as he claimed the bronze medal in the event.
Krajewski did not just win the equestrian event, she did with a sense of dominance. The German had 3.3 fewer penalty points than the second-placed McEwen. On such a massive stage, that sort of gap is extraordinary. She might be the first-ever female gold-medalist in the sport, but the performance seemed absolutely effortless.
