Mumbai: Kaevaan Setalvad and Zahan Setalvad secured the top two positions in the 2nd Asian Games Selection Trial Show Jumping 2021, held at Amateur Riders Club (ARC), securing a place in the team for next years Asian Games at Hangzhou. China.
In the final round, Kaevaan Setalvad of ARC secures the top position with eight penalties, committing four penalties each in both the rounds under his belt. He finished his round in 70.53 seconds.
The 2nd position was secured by Zahan Setalvad of ARC club with eight penalties under his belt and finished the round in 74.12 seconds with his horse El Capitan in 1.50m category height. He also secured the 3rd Rank with a different horse named Quintus. He completed the round with a total of eight penalties again and finished the round in 74.98 seconds, the organisers informed in a release on Friday.
Both the rounds were quite challenging and like always players displayed a high level of energy and competitiveness.
“I was fortunate to qualify for the team and individual events at the Asian Games. I was a little nervous going into this trial as my best horse, Cherokee, had not qualified in the first trial. So it was important for me to make the MER (minimum eligibility requirement) with him this time, which I was able to do,” Kaevaan Setalvad was quoted as saying in a release.
“This was the main goal for this trial, and I am happy to have been able to do it. I now have two team qualifications and individual qualifications for the Games. So I hope to be able to represent India in China next year. The third trial is a month away and hopefully, if the horses stay fit and healthy we can replicate this performance,” Kaevaan said.
“I managed to get a minimum eligibility requirement in the second Asian Games trial that was held in ARC. It was my first time jumping my best horse in the 150cm so I was glad that I met the qualification requirement. Now I hope to keep all the horses fit and healthy so that I continue my performance in the upcoming trials,” Zahan Setalvad
