Shrimati ekta vishnoi

Fit India Champions Podcast: The only current Olympic event that involves an animal is equestrianism. In ancient Olympics, chariot races and horse racing used to be part of the program. Horses continue to remain in focus and this year at the Paris Olympics in July-August, an Indian, for the first time ever, will represent the nation in the dressage event.

The 24-year-old Anush Agarwalla will carry the hopes of a billion when he straddles an equine at the Château de Versailles in Paris. Horses are entwined in almost every chapter of India’s rich history. In Mahabharata, Arjun’s chariot was drawn by four white horses. In Paris, Agarwalla will be India’s proverbial ‘Arjun’ astride Sir Caramello, the horse that enabled him win a historic dressage quota for Paris 2024.

“It’s been just surreal. From winning India’s first medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games to becoming the first Indian to clinch a dressage quota for the upcoming Olympics has been a tremendous experience. At every step, the relationship with my horse has been special, almost perfect. The circle will be completed only when I can finish on the podium in my favourite city, Paris,” said Anush Agarwalla during a chat with Shrimati Ekta Vishnoi, the host of the Fit India Champions Podcast.