New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS) India finished off their campaign on Wednesday with a historic medal haul at the FEI Asian Equestrian Championship 2025 in Pattaya, Thailand, which got underway on November 23. India bagged a total of five medals across the Eventing and Dressage events. This was only the second edition of the Asian Championship; India did not participate in the inaugural edition in 2019.

In Eventing, Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) scheme athlete Ashish Limaye clinched an individual gold as well as a team silver alongside fellow Shashank Singh Kataria and Shashank Kanmuri.

In Dressage, Shruti Vora remained the star of the competition for India, bagging three silver medals – one in the individual category, the second in Intermediate Freestyle I, and the third in the Dressage Team event. The Indian team, consisting of TAGG athlete Divyakriti Singh, Gaurav Pundir, and Shruti, were a part of the team that clinched the silver.

“This was a very emotional win for us because the last Asian Games didn’t turn out great for us. So, I think it was a huge redemption kind of feeling and a big relief,” Ashish Limaye told SAI Media.

“From the organising committee to our very own Sports Ministry, everybody was very supportive. I think it was also a very well-organised trip for us, arranged by the Ministry. They actually made it quite easy for us, and in the end it all worked out, and I’m so happy,” he said.

Showing gratitude to his horse, Ashish added, “My horse ‘Willy Be Dun’ is a 13-year-old Anglo-European. I think it would have been impossible to bag this gold without him because he really fought for us, and he was always giving 100% to come here. I think he knew that we were at a championship and he was really different and special!”

A 16-member delegation (including six athletes, six grooms, two coaches, and one vet and ferrier each) travelled for the championship in Pattaya, at full cost to the government.

The Sports Ministry facilitated an extensive logistics operation covering the transport and care of 6 horses, including air and road movement, pre-export quarantine, feed and bedding, farrier services, insurance, and continuous veterinary supervision for over 40 days.

The expenditure, amounting to Rs 2.73 crore, was provided through the Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSF) scheme, for the travel of the contingent. It included the athletes’ and coaches’ travel, visas, insurance, boarding and lodging, entry fees, mandatory veterinary tests, and essential equipment.

The Sports Authority of India’s TAGG scheme also extended individualised support to its core athletes competing at Pattaya, including Ashish Limaye, Shashank Singh Kataria, and Divyakriti Singh. The trio was provided with dedicated training assistance, equipment support, and highly specialised horse-care requirements.

“Equestrian is an expensive sport, and to have the Government of India helping us athletes financially through schemes like TAGG and TOPS makes things a lot easier. As a TAGG athlete, I was able to successfully compete in Europe all year long with my horses and finally end the year with a silver at the Asian Championships,” Divyakriti told SAI Media.

“Upon reaching Thailand for the championship, there were quite a few issues and problems that we faced, but all of them were solved efficiently as soon as I got in touch with my TAGG Athlete Manager and other representatives of SAI,” she added.

–IANS

hs/bsk/