21-year-old strikes gold at Asia-Pacific Championship, sets sights on Olympics in spite of lack of government support
21-year-old strikes gold at Asia-Pacific Championship, sets sights on Olympics in spite of lack of government support
Nidhi Dev is 21, from the city, and over the moon. She has made the city proud by winning the Asia-Pacific Championship (horse show jumping) eventing gold in Sydney. She was the only participant from India.
Dev, who left for Australia a couple of years ago to pursue higher studies, is now a final-year psychology student at the University of Western Sydney.
There she is being trained by 2000 Olympic gold-medallist Stuart Tinney.
"When I was 11, during the summer vacation I went to the Princess Academy in Palace Grounds with my parents. That was the first time I sat on a horse and I was very excited," Nidhi said over the phone from Australia. "From then my interest in horse-riding developed."
Dev practises three hours every day.
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Sitting pretty: Nidhi Dev after she won a gold in Sydney |
Gone unnoticed
Her efforts paid off and she emerged victorious at the Asia-Pacific Championship; but neither the Equestrian Federation of India nor the government has paid note.
No one even bothered to congratulate her for winning the title.
"Australians selected me to represent India and I agreed immediately as I wanted to see the Indian flag flying high in the sky," Nidhi said.
Nidhi had participated in the 1999 nationals and finished in third place.
"If I wouldn't have won, I think I wouldn't have continued," she said.
She has also participated in many other events, winning national and international championships.
"In 2002, when I was in Standard VIII, I won the National Equestrian Championship for dressage and also the individual championship," she said.
Olympic dreams
Success upon success followed.
"In 2006 I became the first Indian girl winning the CSI-Y individual gold in the international category, beating riders from Australia, Russia and Singapore," she said. "After winning the event I felt I was on top of the world. From then on I kept on setting higher goals in my life and kept going."
But of all these achievements, it is her latest one that is closest to her heart, and it has got her fired up.
"The Asia-Pacific Championship, a combination of dressage, showjumping and cross country,u00a0 was the toughest for me as I was the only female participant in the eventing," she said. "The cross-country hilly track of 3.5 kilometres was very tough with 25 hurdles."
Now Dev is setting her sights higher.
"My aim is to definitely be in the next Olympics; for that I have to get enough sponsorship from private companies and the government,"u00a0 Nidhi said.
Mother Harshini says government support is required in such endeavours.
"A few family friends are currently supporting her with all the finances involved in her training," she says. "In most countries the government or the sports federations provides all financial help to any potential sportsperson."
1999The year in which Nidhi participated in the Nationals and was placed third
2002Nidhi wins the National Equestrian Championship for dressage and individual championship
2006Year in which she becomes the first Indian girl to win CSI-Y individual gold in the international category
Nidhi TriviaNidhi Dev's first coach was Colonel G M Khan, a 1994 Arjuna awardee and 1982 and 1986 Asian Games winner.
Mother Harshini says a few years ago Khan presented her with a horse that later won the national championship.
Nidhi loves scuba diving, bungee jumping and likes adventure sports, all of which she pursues when on holiday.
