The Hindu : Sport / Equestrian : Ahlawat to lead

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 25, 2004

Sport

Sport - Equestrian

Ahlawat to lead

By Our Sports Reporter

KOLKATA, NOV. 24. Major Deep Ahlawat of RTS &D, Saharanpur, the runner-up last year, will lead the challenge in absence of the last year's topper, Dafedar Sajjan Kumar, in the FEI World Show Jumping event which will showcase the best horses and riders of the country in the two-stage world competition to be held between November 27 to 30. The event to be held here at the RCTC polo ground for the third consecutive year, will also host the first qualifying event of the 2006 Doha Asian Games on November 26.

With Kumar not being able to defend his title owing to official reasons, Ahlawat, declared the best rider of the Kolkata Horse Show last year, will be the top bet along side Maj. S.S. Rathore, Col. S.S. Ahlawat, Col. P.P. Singh, Col. Anand Sani and Col. R.K. Dahiya among others who have won national and international riding medals. Informing this the director of the Remount Veterinary School, HQ Eastern Command, Major V.N. Kapre said on Wednesday that the Asian Games trials— the first of the total 10 trials to be held at various centres — will have riders testing on 1 metre, 30 centimeter hurdles for the first round of eliminations. The Calcutta Horse Show — having events like dressage, tent pegging and various other show jumping drills — will be held concurrently.

The GOC Bengal Area, Maj. Gen. Z.U. Shah, informed that city will be among one of the five centres chosen for Nodal Centre for Equestrian Sports which will come up here at a total coast of Rs. 2.5 crores. Apart from the services riders, the civilian riders from around the city will also benefit from the project, which also come up in places like Chandigarh, Pune, Udhampur (Punjab) and Lucknow. — Our Sports Reporter