Chinese Olympic rider Alex Hua Tian dreams big ahead of Tokyo Games

TRYON - Chinese star Olympic rider Alex Hua Tian has high hopes and big dreams for the Tokyo 2020 Games, and he's not afraid to fail along the way to glory.

In the just-ended eventing competition of the World Equestrian Games held in Tryon, a small western North Carolina town, Hua and his 9-year-old horse Boris came last in the dressage test and eventually finished 45th out of the 84-strong field.

For Hua, the youngest eventer ever to compete at an Olympics as well as Team China's first equestrian Olympian in history, the World Equestrian Games are considered a failure in terms of results, but he has a plan.

"We brought him (Boris) here and just want to survive. He made a lot of mistakes in dressage and we know it will happen. It's not a surprise that we are last (after dressage phase)," said a beaming Hua. "But he is such a warrior in cross country run and such a fighter in the show jumping. Overall I'm delighted with him. He's been tough, and understood what he's doing."

"We are here to build his experience and build his confidence. We questioned whether it was the right thing to bring him. I am so glad that we did. This is a very exciting horse in two years' time for the Tokyo Games. He has learned so much and we have learned so much about him from this experience.

"The competition gave us the confidence that he can do it. You never know what they are gonna react until they do it. And now he's done it, we know how he reacts. Now we can use this experience in management of this horse going forward and also the selection process for the Tokyo Games," Hua added.

In the Asian Games held in Indonesia's Jakarta last month, Hua brought Spike, also a 9-year-old horse to the competition and he won a bronze after Japan's Oiwa Yoshiaki and India's Fouaad Mirza, who were both riding much older and experienced horses to target gold.

Now Hua has five horses in place, and the 28-year-old has a bigger vision than just winning medals as he looks ahead to Tokyo 2020.

Like he did in the Asian Games or World Equestrian Games, Hua will continue to use different horses in future events to give them more experience ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

Leading up to 2020, Hua's focus will be on qualifying for the big event and building a connection with the horses before making a final decision on which one he will ride.

"These horses are young, inexperienced but so have much potential for Tokyo in two years' time. We are trying to give them flights, the experience and the exposure. They learned a lot and we learned a lot. And after two years, they will be ready," Hua said.

In the 2016 Rio Games, Hua, whose father is Chinese and mother English, made history for China by finishing eighth in the eventing competition. Once fighting alone in the sport representing China, now Hua believes he will have some Chinese riders by his side this time.

"I'm very proud to represent China and very proud to be the pioneer in the sport for China. I am really excited that we have some very talented riders coming up to a top level, including Liang Ruiji and some other riders as well. Hopefully next year we will see them competing in Europe and persuing the Olympic qualification for Tokyo. To me it's really a exciting thing."

In the Beijing Games 2008, the then 18-year-old Hua became the youngest rider to compete in the Olympics' equestrian competition and also the first athlete from Team China to ever do so.

While looking back, Hua learned to appreciate the present. He said: "It's crazy, it's been ten years. I can't believe it. I still remember myself at 18 years old and not very mature. Ten years' time is gone by very quickly. I have learned a lot with help from so many people, but there's still so much more I need to learn and so much more I need to develop. It's exciting and nice to have a long road in front of you."

Targeting a place on the podium one day in the Olympics, Hua said he will take it step by step.

"We all want to be there (winning an Olympic medal). That's why we do it. We all have hopes and ambitions. And I still have time to try and get there, but I'm not in a mad rush. I want to build things slowly."

Statistics show that in 2014 there were around 200 equestrian or riding clubs in China. Now the figure is over 1,500 and rising, with club membership at nearly one million.

Hua, the London-based and Eton-educated rider, has since spent more time promoting the sport in China and already became an important ambassdor for the sport in the world's most populous country.

"As the only rider from China competing at this level, I do feel a strong responsibility to try to help grow and nurture the industry. We have a lot of projects out there. In Europe, not that many new families come into the industry, but in China, almost 100 percent families coming into this sport are absolutely having no idea about the sport. So I must try hard to make it change," Hua said.