Steadfast Agarwalla gears up for Paris ride in dressage

The 25-year-old can still be challenged by other rider-horse pairs till the June 24 deadline but for now, he is a step closer to realising his dream

- Shantanu Srivastava

Anush Agarwalla is over the moon. His childhood dream of qualifying for the Olympics realised, the 25-year-old from Kolkata is gearing up for "something special" in Paris. On Monday, he became the first Indian to earn an Olympics berth in dressage for the country.

Like most sports, an Olympic quota in equestrian belongs to the country and not the individual, meaning Agarwalla can still be challenged by other rider-horse combinations till the June 24 deadline to send final entries. But for now, he is one step closer to achieving his dream.

"Being an Olympian was a childhood dream. I have been waiting for this moment since I started training," Agarwalla said from his training base in Borchen, Germany.