Here is the biography of 2020 Tokyo Olympics finalist Fouaad Mirza
Fouaad Mirza is an Indian equestrian born on 6 March 1992. His father, Dr Hasneyn Mirza, is one of India’s top equine veterinarians and that’s how Fouaad’s inclination towards the sport started growing.
Mirza started riding horses when he was just five years old and soon developed a passion for the sport. He won silver medals in both individual events and team events at the 2018 Asian Games.
Fouaad became the first Indian since 1982 to win a medal at an individual equestrian event at the Asian Games. He qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first Indian equestrian since Imtiaz Anees (2000) to participate at the Games.
Olympic Debut
Fouaad Mirza finished 23rd in the jumping final of eventing at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday and missed out on the medal.
The 29-year-old Mirza scored of 59.60 penalty points after the completion of all rounds – dressage, cross-country, jumping qualifier and the jumping final.
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Fouaad Mirza is the third Indian equestrian at the Olympics after Imtiaz Anees (2000) and Indrajit Lamba (1996). He began his Tokyo 2020 campaign at the Baji Koen Equestrian Park with an amazing performance in the dressage test.
The two-time Asian Games silver medalist had to face a challenging cross-country round at the Sea Forest Country Course. After that, he slipped to the 22nd spot in the rankings.
The Indian just managed to squeeze through to the jumping final after a combined total of 47.20 penalty points from dressage, cross-country and jumping qualifier placed him in 25th spot from 63 competitors. Only the top 25 make the final.
Career
Fouaad Mirza won a silver medal at the Equestrian Jumping Final at the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta. In 2019, he received the Arjuna Award.
In October 2019, Mirza won gold at CCI3*-S event held in Strzegom, Poland. On 7 January 2020, he became the first Indian equestrian in the last 20 years to qualify for the Olympics.
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Mirza had been trained by the Sandra Auffarth for the Tokyo Olympics. Sandra Auffarth himself won the Silver Medal at London Olympics in the individual event, and a gold medal in the team event.