Just three days before the start of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, India equestrian Fouaad Mirza has decided to change his horse and he will now go with Seigneur Medicott in the Games.
Medicott, lovingly known as Micky, helped Fouaad Mirza win the two silvers at the Asian Games and they both share a strong emotional connect with each other.
At first, Fouaad picked Dajara 4 for the Olympics but in the last few gruelling weeks of competing and practise, Mirza felt that Dajara 4 had undergone a lot of pressure.
This prompted the change in the final entry with Seigneur Medicott for the Tokyo Olympics as the horse was moving better.
Seigneur Medicott, a dark bay Westphalian gelding foaled in 2006 by Seigneur D' Alleray out of Gina XIII by Finley M, has competed 34 times and won 10 times. He was the German Champion in 2017 and was purchased the same year by the Embassy Group.
He won a CCI1* in Montelibretti, placed 2nd in a CCI1* in Radolfzell enroute to the Individual Silver in the Asian Games in Jakarta. He finished 2nd in the CCI4*L in Baborowko, Poland.
Seigneur Medicott has cleared quarantine in Aachen and boarded the flight for Tokyo at midnight and the flight left at 0200 this morning. The horse will also be accompanied by Johanna Pohonen (Groom), Dr. Grigorios Maleas (Veterinarian) and Veronica Sinz (Physiotherapist).
Meanwhile, a total of 127 athletes from India will feature in the Tokyo Olympics. This is the biggest-ever contingent India is sending to any Olympics. The 69 cumulative events across the 18 sport disciplines that India will participate in are also the highest ever for the country.
Tokyo Olympics will run from July 23 to August 8. The mega event was slated to be held last year, but it had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
( With inputs from ANI )
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