Junior National Equestrian Championship: Chandigarh’s Jaiveer Makkar wins silver in showjumping occasion
3 min read Earlier this week, when 13-year-old Chandigarh rider Jaiveer Makkar had an opportunity to place in an objection in opposition to his competitor Geetika Tikkeitty, whose horse went uncontrolled, the teenager was positioned second at the moment. If he had submitted an objection, he would have gained gold within the showjumping (accumulator) occasion within the Junior National Equestrian Championship held in Mumbai.
While the younger Chandigarh rider needed to deal with a silver medal aside from a fourth-place end within the occasion, Makkar believes that placing an objection would have undermined Geetika’s effort with no fault of hers.
“I believe that it was her bad luck that her horse went out of control and broke the reigns. I have always believed in the idea of fair competition and hence did not object. I am glad that I won the silver medal and I and my horse gave our best. The silver medal and the fourth-place finish is the biggest reward for me this year’s championship,” Makkar mentioned whereas speaking with The Indian Express.
The teenager, who began driving on the age of 5 on the insistence of his maternal grandfather, Retired Colonel OP Dahiya, would follow on the Chandigarh Horse Riding School. He has gained medals within the Chandigarh Horse Show and Delhi Horse Show aside from successful medals in numerous classes of the Junior National Equestrian Championships.
Last 12 months, he gained three medals on the junior occasion. This 12 months, the teenager gained the group gold within the showjumping occasion aside from a silver medal within the fault and out occasion within the U-14 class within the Delhi Horse Show in April. He then gained gold and bronze medals and a group silver medal within the showjumping occasion in Jaipur Equestrian Championship in September.
In Mumbai, Makkar was driving his horse, Democratic, and clocked an ideal spherical of 33.58 seconds with 65 factors to assert the silver medal. Later, he rode his horse, Victoria, clocking a timing of 35.18 seconds to assert fourth place.
“Last year, during the lockdown and later months, I kept myself busy at home playing football and basketball and spending time with my family as well horses. Later, when I started to practice, the fitness drills helped my riding. The medals won in Delhi Horse Show and Jaipur boosted my confidence a lot before the Junior Championship. The main challenge here was completing a ten-jump course without dropping a pole in the least time. Both my horses jumped well and I am lucky that I could handle them well,” mentioned Makkar, who’s a pupil of sophistication 8 in The Doon School, Dehradun.
The teenager plans to proceed within the group 1 class subsequent 12 months earlier than competing in senior occasions. He additionally plans to compete in FEI occasions and the personal cups as soon as the Covid-19 scenario improves and he can journey overseas.
Makkar can be motivated by the feat of Asian Games silver medallist Fouaad Mirza, who represented India within the Tokyo Olympics and have become solely the third Indian equestrian to take action. “Competing in senior events in the coming years will boost my confidence. I am also aiming to compete in FEI events once the situation improves. What Fouaad sir has achieved has motivated every youngster like me in the country. Now with the right coaching and guidance, we too can dream about competing in Olympics one day,” mentioned Makkar.
