Junior national equestrian: Dhoni shines in Tent Pegging; Lakdawala wins in showjumping

New Delhi, Dec 23 Dhoni Om Chand, riding Mrignani, claimed the first place in the Lance category of the high-energy Tent Pegging event at the Junior National Equestrian Championship (JNEC) 2024, which witnessed thrilling performances here on Monday. Dhoni Om Chand topped the Lance category with 51.5 points, winning after a tie-breaker against Mohammad Alhamad Chishty on Rani. Sahil, on Candy, finished third with 47.5 points in the event ongoing at the Army Polo & Riding Club in Delhi Cantt.

The Championship, featuring the Children I Side Event, Tent Pegging – Lemon & Peg – Sword, Young Rider Dressage Style to Music, Children I Dressage Individual, and Young Rider Side events, will witness the action going on till December 29, as the second half of JNEC starts on December 26.

The Junior National Equestrian Championship (JNEC) 2024 on Monday witnessed Chennai rider Ali Hatim Lakdawala, riding Leonardo Van Holli, clocking an impressive 33.31 seconds to clinch the Young Rider Showjumping Champion title. He later emerged as the Young Rider (age group of 18-21) Team Dressage lead along with Siddhant Jaiswal, Jaiveer Verma, and Geethika Tikkisetty to secure the first place with a cumulative score of 178.22.

Lakdawala edged past AEF Cup CSIY-B silver medallist E. Surya Aditya on Calimero (37.22 seconds), while AEF Cup CSIJ-B silver medallist Geethika Tikkisetty on Brogonenn Saint Paer secured third place with a timing of 40.93 seconds in the show jumping category.

In the team category, Avik Bhatia, E. Surya Aditya, Thanush Gowda, and Geethika Tikkisetty claimed gold, with minimum penalty points of 14 outriding the silver-medal-winning team of Monu Kumar, Harsh Chauhan, Anupati Navyashree Sai, and Eshmeet Singh with 27 penalty points. The bronze went to Siddhant Jaiswal, Kartikey Khokhar Vardaan, and Ali Hatim Lakdawala who claimed 47 penalty points.

The EFI Secretary General, Col. Jaiveer Singh, commented on the success of the events, stating, “JNEC 2024 has been a fantastic showcase of equestrian talent across diverse disciplines such as Show Jumping, Dressage, and Tent Pegging. The competitive spirit and skill displayed by participants, especially in the team and individual events, are a testament to the sport's growing stature in India. Championships like these provide young riders with invaluable exposure and prepare them to excel on national and international platforms.”

In the Dressage category, Raju Singh, Moksh Patel, and Bhawani Pratap Singh narrowly missed gold, finishing second with 177.93, followed by the team of Samana Everaa T, Kartikey Khokhar, and A. Navyashree Sai at 171.04 and third position on the podium.

In the Children, I (age group of 12-14) team Dressage event, the quartet of Inaara Mehta Luthria, Ananya Sajit Haridas, Subh Chowdhari, and Pranav Deepak emerged victorious with 226.18 points. While Divyaraj Singh Rathore, Jaiwant Nawle, Aradhy Singh Chouhan, and Sresh Raju Mantena (210.24 points) and Puneet Jhakhar, Swara Tihrani, Zara Swittens, and Agastya Sharma (206.26 points) secured second and third places, respectively.