India’s Shruti Vora has created history by winning the three-star Grand Prix competition in equestrian. She is the first Indian equestrian to win this title
New Delhi: Shruti Vora, riding Magnanimous, has become the first Indian rider to win the three-star Grand Prix event. This is a historic achievement for the Indian equestrian. Shruti scored 67.761 points in the CDI-3 event held in Lipica, Slovenia on 7-9 June. The Indian player was ahead of Moldova’s Tatiana Antonenko (Aachen), who scored 66.522 points. Austria’s Juliane Gerich secured a place in the top-3 by scoring 66.087 points.
General Colonel Jaiveer Singh, Secretary of the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), said in a statement, ‘This is very good news for the Indian equestrian fraternity. This inspirational performance of Shruti has made the country proud. Many women are taking up this sport and such achievements will inspire many more equestrians to strive for excellence’. Shruti also performed brilliantly in the Grand Prix Special, which was held at the same venue. She finished second to the Antonenko-Aachen combo with a score of 66.085.
Shruti said, ‘I am extremely happy with the result. I have worked hard and the win is really satisfying. This victory has come in the Olympic year and that is what makes it important. The fact that I am the first rider from the country to win a three-star event makes it a special achievement. I will continue to work hard to bring honor to my country’. Experienced rider Shruti, who hails from Kolkata, has represented India at the Dressage World Championships (2022) and the Asian Games (2010, 2014).
The rider-horse combo performs in a 20m x 60m arena, which is surrounded by a low rail within which the horse must stay. The arena has 12 lettered markers symmetrically placed to indicate where the movements are to begin, where the speed changes are to take place and where the movements will end. There are 7 stages – Preliminary, Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced Intermediate, Advanced, Prix St. George and Intermediate-I. Scoring is done on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is very poor and 10 is excellent.
