Alex overcoming all obstacles

Chinese rider has 2020 vision after bagging bronze at Asiad, Shi Futian reports from Jakarta

China's Alex Hua Tian rejoiced at overcoming his stressful Asian Games preparations to bag a medal which he reckons is the perfect platform for bigger things at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The 28-year-old won eventing bronze on board PSH Convivial (aka Spike) on Friday, with Japan's Yoshiaki Oiwa taking gold and India's Fouaad Mirza claiming silver.

And with the quality of the competition improving drastically since he won silver at the 2014 Asiad in South Korea, Hua was thrilled to return to the podium.

"I'm so happy and so proud of my horse who gave the best performance," said Hua.

"The two riders that beat me were on world-class, experienced horses, among which one (Oiwa's Bart L JRA) has won an Olympic medal. So, for me and Spike, I couldn't be more proud and happy.

"I have no problems losing to those two horses and riders. Hopefully with the right horse and conditions, I'll reach the top next time."

A far-from-ideal build-up inconvenienced by anti-doping appointments made the result even more satisfying for Hua.

"It's been quite difficult for us actually," said Hua in an exclusive interview with China Daily in Jakarta.

"My teammates and I are all based in Europe. This time for the Asian Games, the anti-doping measures have been really strict, which is good and which I support.

"However, we had to fly to Beijing days ahead of our plan to go to Jakarta for testing and education. Sadly, our riders couldn't be with our horses. We missed that last minute of final preparation, which for us is really important.

"This time we haven't had ideal preparation. The day when I first trained with my horse in Jakarta was the eighth day since I last rode him."

Helping Spike recover from the long flight from Europe was another challenge.

"The travel time is very long, and horses are not very good at traveling," he said.

"There are lots of anxieties to stress them. They have to manage the physical stress and mental stress. After the trip Spike and me were both very stressed."

Hua hopes the whole experience will stand them in good stead come the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"Spike is a really good horse that I only bought last year. It took me three months to persuade his previous owners to sell him," said Hua, who finished eighth at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"We bought him because he's a very different type of horse. He's smaller. He's feisty. He has a lot of heart and courage and he's really sensitive.

"Spike is a competitive horse, but Jakarta is just a stepping stone for us to get to Tokyo.

"It's not just about being competitive, it's about giving him the key experiences of traveling and soaking up the atmosphere.

"All these things are very important for a horse. It's not just about myself."

Since becoming the youngest eventer to compete in an Olympics as an 18-year-old at the 2008 Beijing Games, Hua has seen the standards of Asian equestrianism rise rapidly, with Oiwa's gold on Sunday underlining the progress made by Japan.

"In terms of other Asian nations, the quality of horses and riders has increased so much over the past four-year-cycle," said Hua.

"I've been paying attention to all the other countries, especially Japan. Now they have super teams, super horses, super riders and super organizations to manage them.

"This is something that China must be very conscious of. We might be very confident, but we always have to be improving."

Hua's international profile has been a major factor in the emergence of a new crop of Chinese riders, but the Eton-educated star remains modest about his influence and hopes future talents merely follow their dreams for the love of the sport.

"China's budding young riders don't have to be me," he said.

"I have been extremely lucky, and it all came together to give me a wonderful opportunity.

"That's very rare, and to measure my journey against anybody else's would be very unfair.

"What you have to be is somebody who loves being around horses, loves the partnership between horse and rider."