Shaheer Ahmed
If we say Pakistan is home to talent, it won’t be wrong. Many of them have outperformed in the national and international arena stamping their victories for the motherland. Pakistan’s Ace Equestrian Usman Khan qualifies for the Asian. What a proud moment for Pakistan. Well done Usman! We are proud of you.
Equestrian in Pakistan
Equestrian is one of the riding sports, where horses are the teammates. According to the Pakistan Sports Board, only four Equestrian sports are included in the Asian Olympics which include dressage, eventing, jumping, and endurance. They give both Men and Women equal chances which are great to know. Pakistan does not have many competitors in this sport. In Athens 2004 Olympics, Pakistani rider Nadeem Noon had a wild card entry but missed out on the spot because of his injured horse.
Usman Khan
The Melbourne-based Pakistani Usman Khan has the honor of becoming the first Pakistani Equestrian to compete internationally. He qualified for the 2006 Asian Olympics. He also qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with his horse Azad Kashmir, where he finished 13th to fulfill the Minimum Eligibility Requirements. He took part in eventing, showjumping, and dressage. He was putting in efforts for the last 15 years to reach the place of his dreams.
He is back in the game after a year when he had met an accident. He had been in rehab for 5 months. His horse ‘ Kasher’ had also passed away in the accident.
This time, he has partnered with Eden Du Vernet. He has secured a 12th place in the FEI CIC 2-Star long format event, Haras de Jardy in Paris, France. This means that Pakistan has qualified for the Asian Games 2022-23. Although he didn’t have enough time to train the horse, he is hopeful of winning the medal.
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He was excited to see the green and white flag during the European circuit, “Pakistan was placed 11th after dressage in a massive European field, we had kept a low profile in the lead-up, so there was no pressure. We achieved a national record score in the dressage phase and went clear cross-country with six-time penalties and one rail in show jumping. If we didn’t incur time penalties, we would have been at the podium. The performance tells Pakistan has a medal chance.”
It is indeed a proud moment for Pakistan to see the medals in Asian Olympics. Way to go ahead, Usman!!! Our Wishes are with you.
