Bangalore’s Aliya Dasgupta creates history by becoming the first Indian woman to qualify for FEI World Cup in Santiago, Chile.
Come November, you will see the tricolour flying high at the Club De Polo in Santiago, Chile. 20-year-old Aliya Dasgupta will achieve the feat of being only the second Indian and the first ever female from the country to participate in the FEI (international equestrian body) World Cup of Show jumping.
“It’s the biggest event so far in my short career and I am really waiting for that day when I will be standing alongside the best in Chile… Competing against the top 19 riders from across the globe was really a dream,” says an enthusiastic Aliya.
However, it has been a dramatic journey for Aliya as she had missed out on the qualification by a whisker after she was placed third in the South East Asian Zone. Aliya had won the FEI world jumping challenge in Bangalore last year. Despite winning the event, her ranking in the Zone was third with only the top two qualifying for the prestigious event.
“I was disappointed since I had done exceedingly well till the third round but then I became over cautious in the fourth knowing that I was very close to achieving the target,” said Aliya. “Though I won the event hands down, but a bad fourth round really ruined my chances of making it to the FEI World Cup,” added the Bangalore lass.
However as luck would have it, one of the top two riders from the zone has pulled out of the event, giving Aliya the opportunity. “It was my mother who came all the way to my office to give the news, and as she disclosed that I was going to Chile, I screamed in joy which surprised the entire office.” recalls Aliya.
Further adding that she never expected to compete in the world event this year, Aliya said “I never expected to go to the event this year as I was already preparing for the next world jumping challenge scheduled in Bangalore from November 21-28 (2009) and better my score to be amongst the top two, but this came in as a real surprise.”
Now that she has qualified for the event, she is really looking forward to making an impression there if not win the title. When asked about her preparation for the event, she points out, “You actually cannot prepare the way you want to since all the riders will be riding borrowed horses.” This rule really gives her a good chance of doing well there since all the 20 riders will have just 24 hours to be friendly with the horse they are allotted, which is done by a draw of lot.
Having started riding at the age of nine, Aliya has won almost every event in the junior level and has also been part of the Indian equestrian team that toured Korea, Australia and Iran in 2007. Last year she was selected as one of the four most promising young athletes of the country, who were sent to Beijing to have a first-hand experience of the Olympics. But now with the World Cup in sight, Aliya is certainly looking to enter the big league of show jumping.
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