Rider Fouaad Mirza ready for Tokyo Games
New Delhi: At an online interaction facilitated by the Sports Authority of India on Wednesday, Fouaad offered more than a glimpse into his lonely life in Germany, which is his training base. "From a young age, I have spent time with animals as my Dad is a vet. So I guess, I fell in love with horses and here I am going to compete in the Olympics," said Fouaad.
The young man from Bangalore, who won a silver medal at the Asian Games in 2018 in Jakarta, has trained assiduously since then to make the cut for the Olympics. In over 15 months ravaged by COVID-19, Fouaad, too, has been hit hard.
Week after week, equestrian competitions were falling through. He kept his nose to the grind and worked in solitude. His own physical training apart in village settings in Germany, Fouaad also had to look after his horses in the stable.
He had to care for them, train them, feed them, massage them and ensure they were in good health. Even though Fouaad himself had made the cut for the Olympics in 2020 itself, he had to get MER (Minimum Eligibility Requirement) for his horses.
Over the weekend in Poland, he nursed horses Seigneur Medicott and Dajara 4 in virtually the last event at the Baborowko Equestrian Festival in Poland. "It was high pressure to qualify the horses in the last event. I am very happy with Seigneur Medicott as she was coming back from a long injury break," he said.
In fact, Foaaud could have got the MER for the horses in April itself in Germany but there was an outbreak of equine herpes virus. "From now on till Tokyo, I have to take care of myself and the horses. I will make the final decision on which horse goes to Tokyo towards the month-end. It will be decided on form, which horse can take the long travel and heat," added Fouaad.
"Because of the COVID-19 situation, a lot of the equestrian events in Europe got cancelled. Even this event (in Poland) was on the break of being cancelled. I was able to keep the horses in good form despite all the drama," he said.
It is not often Indian riders qualify for the Olympics. Equestrian being a very competitive and expensive sport, where horses cost a fortune, Fouaad is lucky to have full backing from his sponsors, Embassy Group. He reckons the cost of his training plus horses and staying in Germany the last two years comes to around two crore Euros.
And how does he describe his love affair with horses? "It is an intense affair. From 7 am to 6 pm I am with my horses in the stable, taking care of them and training them. I go back home only for my lunch break. What you see in pictures, the rider kissing the horse reflects the story," he said.
There will be tight quarantine protocols in place for Fouaad and the horse which he finally chooses for Tokyo. "I have to take good care of myself and be careful. The same goes for my horse," he added.
