As the Indian contingent prepares for the Paris Olympics in right earnest, there will be a 24-year-old from Kolkata creating a slice of history all his own.
The name is Anush Agarwalla and he will be India's first ever equestrian at the Olympics to compete in the individual dressage event.
In an exclusive interview to the Free Press Journal, Agarwalla revealed his thoughts and perspectives ahead of the much anticipated performance at the Paris Olympics.
"The feeling is like none other. Competing at the Olympic Games has always been a childhood dream for me and I'm feeling grateful and excited that this dream will come true next week in Paris. I could not have wished for a better moment in my career than fulfilling my dreams."
Agarwalla stated his preparations are absolutely on track and he looks forward to the competition.
"Things are going very well. My horse is hundred percent fit and healthy. I feel we are going to perform at our peak level. Regarding my chances, I always train my 100 percent for every competition. I don't want to speak too much about my chances. What I want to do is focus on my training and myself and do what I've always been doing,'' he added.
Anush Agarwalla on challenges of not coming from equestrian family
Agarwalla does not hail from an equestrian family as such and therefore had his own set of challenges in the journey up until now.
"Riding started mainly as a hobby for me. I did not come from a typical equestrian family which you normally see in Europe. No other family member apart from me is into horse riding. So yeah, I started relatively late at the age of 17 with serious training.
The move to Germany was quite difficult because I came from a sheltered life in India. I was not used to doing the household work like cleaning, cooking and laundry etc and suddenly I had to do everything on my own. I did not know the people, language etc. I was doing new things all at once. All these things added to the difficulty and I had to learn riding at a level I had never learnt before,'' Agarwalla revealed.
'The competition will be the most difficult in the world': Agarwalla
Agarwalla expects a baptism with fire in the individual dressage event of equestrian at the Olympics.
"The competition will be the most difficult in the world. The best riders will be present there and I don't expect anything less, its the Olympics. It also excites me at the same time that I will be competing with the best riders in the world."
Anush Agarwalla on 'Sir Caramello'
Agarwalla's world revolves around his beloved horse 'Sir Caramello' and he is all praise for it.
"My horse has been performing great. I'm really happy and grateful to be given the opportunity to ride such an amazing horse. For me the horse is the most important part of the sport. Mainly because without the horse we are nothing you know. Everything that we do depends on the horse, so its really important to find a good companion in your horse. That's the most beautiful part of our sport."
Agarwalla gave a big credit to his family for their support in his journey to the Olympics.
"My family has been extremely supportive throughout the journey. They have always supported me through thick and thin. Through failures or victories, they've been with me. I'm grateful to have such a strong support system with me."
The Kolkata man is not too worried about adjusting to the challenges in Paris and is all geared up for the competition.
"To be honest, I'm not anticipating any other challenges. I'm really excited to be competing at my first ever Olympic Games. Whatever happens, I will just do my best to overcome if there are any challenges. I believe in myself. I'm focusing on giving my best for the country which has been my main focus. The rest we will see what happens."
