Farm boy from Madhya Pradesh wins equestrian gold in Paris | More sports News – Times of India
BHOPAL: An 18-year-old farm boy from Madhya Pradesh cornered glory by galloping to an equestrian gold in Paris. Raju Singh Bhadoria, a farmer’s son from MP’s Bhind, won the eventing cross-country one-star class in Grosbois.
Riding the horse Louk, the class 12 student clinched gold with a penalty of 23. French riders Frederic Gremont and Alexia Russel Sauque took the other two spots on the podium with penalties of 28 and 29.
When TOI called the soft-spoken Raju on Sunday evening, he began with, “Kya bolun (what do I say)?” Coaxed to say how he prepared for the competition, he said: “My aim is always to keep winning medals for the country, wherever I compete. Keeping things simple helps me stay focused. That’s all I did.”
The boy “who came with nothing” to Bhopal was happier to talk about how the MP Equestrian Academy helped him at every step – from spotting his talent early on to buying a thoroughbred for his event.
“I am thankful to the government of Madhya Pradesh, coach Bhagirath sir and my family for showing confidence in me,” said Raju.
Raju is now training under French coach Regis Prudhon and preparing for the 2023 Asian Games 2023. He is the youngest of four riders to make the Asiad cut.
It all started in 2015 when Raju and his father Sujan Singh Bhadoria came to visit the boy’s maternal uncle, Arvind Singh, who works as a caretaker in the MP Equestrian Academy. Till then, he hadn’t stepped out of Bhind’s Harpal Ka Pura village, some 500km from Bhopal.
For the 11-year-old village boy, the academy seemed like “paradise”. He turned out to be a natural at horsemanship and was picked up at a talent hunt that year, said chief coach of the academy, Captain Bhagirath.
The awards came in a gallop – including best rider, twice, at the national level, and Eklavya Award of Madhya Pradesh government in 2020. In May 2022, Raju was chosen for specialized training under UK coaches and a ‘warmblood’ eventing horse was bought for him.
Riding the horse Louk, the class 12 student clinched gold with a penalty of 23. French riders Frederic Gremont and Alexia Russel Sauque took the other two spots on the podium with penalties of 28 and 29.
When TOI called the soft-spoken Raju on Sunday evening, he began with, “Kya bolun (what do I say)?” Coaxed to say how he prepared for the competition, he said: “My aim is always to keep winning medals for the country, wherever I compete. Keeping things simple helps me stay focused. That’s all I did.”
The boy “who came with nothing” to Bhopal was happier to talk about how the MP Equestrian Academy helped him at every step – from spotting his talent early on to buying a thoroughbred for his event.
“I am thankful to the government of Madhya Pradesh, coach Bhagirath sir and my family for showing confidence in me,” said Raju.
Raju is now training under French coach Regis Prudhon and preparing for the 2023 Asian Games 2023. He is the youngest of four riders to make the Asiad cut.
It all started in 2015 when Raju and his father Sujan Singh Bhadoria came to visit the boy’s maternal uncle, Arvind Singh, who works as a caretaker in the MP Equestrian Academy. Till then, he hadn’t stepped out of Bhind’s Harpal Ka Pura village, some 500km from Bhopal.
For the 11-year-old village boy, the academy seemed like “paradise”. He turned out to be a natural at horsemanship and was picked up at a talent hunt that year, said chief coach of the academy, Captain Bhagirath.
The awards came in a gallop – including best rider, twice, at the national level, and Eklavya Award of Madhya Pradesh government in 2020. In May 2022, Raju was chosen for specialized training under UK coaches and a ‘warmblood’ eventing horse was bought for him.
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